The Baleful and Time-Honored House of Gaunt
by Lost Triforce
Summary: The second wizarding war has ended. The Dark Lord has been vanquished. Sirius, freed from the veil, alongside a surviving Tonks and Lupin begin rebuilding their lives together when they are met with a strange witch boasting dark powers and an even darker past. When her previous adversaries come looking for her, their lives and the safety of Hogwarts are threatened once again.
1. Our Restless Youth

**A/N: Title subject to change. This story takes place after the battle of Hogwarts. Most of the characters live in this story, so it isn't quite cannon but is based largely in the books and general lore of HP. Tonks and Lupin also do not yet have a child in this story. Rating is for language, sexual content, and general dark themes that pop up here and there. Please enjoy and review!**

"I'm so glad you agreed to come! I've been so excited to meet you, shame Lyall isn't here."

Tonks smiled politely, stepping awkwardly around an umbrella stand, doing her best not to fall over and embarrass herself in front of the woman her lover, Remus Lupin, called 'mother'. After a lengthy dinner getting to know each other, Tonks was quite surprised that she didn't feel nervous or uncomfortable around Hope Lupin, a revelation that was even more surprising considering Remus could not be there. The two spent a lot of time discussing Hope's fascination with the wizarding world, her pride in her son, and her deceased husband whom she loved dearly. Now, as Tonks followed closely behind the muggle woman, ascending the stairs of Remus's childhood home, she felt the puzzle pieces of her lover's childhood and personality clicking together.

She'd been surprised to find that the Lupin home was covered in motifs and shrines dedicated to the very thing Remus feared the most: the moon. Everywhere there were paintings of the moon, statues of the goddess Selene, white candles burned down to the very ends, and large moonstone gems. At first Tonks thought maybe his family secretly revered his lycanthropy, but in seeing the tiredness behind Hope's eyes it hit her that this wasn't adoration: this was desperation. A plea and a prayer to the old gods to either remove the curse from their son or help him live through it.

"It wasn't always like this. The house I mean," Hope murmured as she caught Tonks eying one of the many altars.

"I always believed in the gods of old and magic, even before I met Lyall or had Remus. When Remus left home and his father died I felt rather alone, but it brought me back to what I always knew magic and witchcraft to be all those years ago."

Tonks couldn't help but to smile slightly in the dark of the stairwell. Hope was so like Remus, and oddly, so much like herself. For a woman in her twilight years she dressed more like someone in her twenties, clad in torn jeans and a shirt that bore the tiniest bit of midriff. Even her hair was youthful- long, albeit thin, and not the natural white of old age, but a dyed silver that shimmered like starlight against a pitch black root. Tonks had often wondered why someone like bookish, quiet Remus would ever fall for her, but it was evident to her in that moment that he'd grown up with someone like her all along.

"Ah! Here we are!"

The small muggle woman stopped in front of a door that seemed to be humming slightly, spinning on one heel to face Tonks and grinning wildly. Tonks found herself jumping backwards slightly at the sudden motion, caught in the woman's burning amber eyes. Tonks was very familiar with these eyes having seen them a few days once a month, when the full moon was near and the wolf began to take over Remus's conscience. Remus's eyes had always been a honeyed hazel brown, but she always attributed the unnaturally intense yellow that appeared monthly to be a feature of the beast. She'd have never guessed the wolfish glint in his eyes truly belonged to his mother.

"I dreamed of the day Remus would bring someone home so I could embarrass him with all his old pictures and playthings. This is his old bedroom. Why don't you take a peak inside and see what you find, hmm?"

Hope let the door swing open and there inside was the teenage Lupin's bedroom, magically preserved for all time. Everything was neatly in place: the bed perfectly made, a bedside clock ticking beside a picture of four muddy boys, all clad in red and yellow robes and holding brooms. The closet door was still open, old, shabby sweaters and jeans neatly hanging on their perspective hangers. Underneath sat three large boxes:

One held books. Everything from "Muggle Magic and You!: A Guide to Pagan 'Witchcraft'" to "Hogwarts, A History" to "Crime and Punishment". Tonks took a moment to dig through the books, pulling up several titles until she realized that there was an extension charm placed on the box, and that Remus's collection was likely more extensive than she cared to look through.

"Remus loved to read," Hope cooed from her place at the door, "We have an old apple tree out back. On cool days when the apples were ripe he used to climb onto the strongest limbs with whatever he was reading and eat straight from the branches. He was a sweet boy though, always made sure he left enough for me to make my tarts and pies."

Tonks moved on to the second box, which held more magically-themed objects. There was old Hogwarts wear, spell-o tape, a wand cleaning kit, and to Tonks's great surprise-

"A remembrall?" She gasped, picking up the little crystal ball and frowning when it immediately filled with red smoke.

"Remus was always very well organized, but a tad bit forgetful. He grew out of it but, when the moon came..."

"Yeah... he still tends to be a bit out of sorts for a few days after."

Tonks shook the thought from her head and moved on to the final box, grinning at sight of several dozen old records, neatly filed by name in a way that screamed "Remus".

"He still has his old player in here, just there by the bedside. You should play something of his! It's been ages since I've heard his old music playing."

Tonks thumbed through the record collection eagerly, head spinning with excitement as she made mental notes of all the names she recognized.

"This is all the good stuff! Muggle rock bands and funk music and- MERLIN'S BEARD!"

Tonks pulled up a copy of the Scottish wizarding-rock band "Off By Lyric"'s album "Revolutions".

"You're joking right?! These guys were amazing! They're on their farewell tour now!"

"Remus always did have a little rebel side to him, as evidenced by his friends. Why don't you put it on?"

Tonks walked over to the little record player, reaching out to take off the record that was already on it, but tripping over her shoe laces and causing the player to start instead.

"You ready Moony?"

Tonks's head jerked up from the floor, cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment.

"I...I dunno about this... maybe we should-"

"Shh! C'mon Moony do the intro! You're ruining the tape!"

Tonk's brow furrowed. She recognized two of the three voices coming from the recording, even though the nasally tones and cracks indicated they were quite young. One voice was undoubtedly Remus's. The other belonged to a much younger Sirius Black. The third, Tonks surmised, had to belong to either James Potter or Peter Pettigrew.

"A...alright. Hello, this is Moony and the Marauders and we're gonna cover The Beatles, 'Hey Jude'"

Tonks stayed on the floor, jaw quite literally on it as the music started and a voice that was unmistakably Remus's shyly sang through the first few bars of the Muggle hit. As the song went on, Tonks eventually got up, staring at the record player incredulously as Hope Lupin swayed to her son's voice which grew stronger and more assured over time. Finally the ending "nah nahs" faded away and Tonks turned to Hope.

"He. Can. SING?!"

Hope cackled.

"Back in the day the boys fancied themselves little musicians. It never did go anywhere but it certainly did make for an interesting summer. Remus never was confident enough."

Tonks took one last sweep of her lovers old room before bidding Hope good night and apparating back to 12 Grimmauld Place where she and Lupin where temporarily staying. There she found Lupin passed out asleep, likely exhausted from a day running around the Ministry. Tonks did her best to slip out of her clothes and gently slip into bed with him, but with the full moon approaching Remus's senses were just too good and he began to stir.

"Wotcher, Remus."

"Hmm...How was dinner with my mother?" Remus purred, rolling over to kiss Tonks and wrap her in his arms.

"Actually wonderful. She's really something you know."

"Didn't scare you off with all her incense and crystals did she?"

Tonks chuckled, pressing her lips against the werewolf's forehead.

"I thought it was pretty neat. Whatever she's doing is working for her, she looks better than most women her age. Seems like she's in one of her god's favor."

"Hmm."

Remus pulled Tonks closer, lips brushing against hers, warm breath washing over her.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there. Kingsley wants me helping at the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. They're making a new Werewolf registry geared towards wolfish welfare instead of shaming. It's a lot of work and coordinating with the other departments is a living nightmare. Thank goodness I won't have to do this much longer."

"Oh?" Tonks sat up on her elbows, her eyes searching in vain for Remus's in the dark.

"Minerva offered me my old position as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor... I said yes."

"Remus!"

"I know, I know, I should have told you first but-"

He was choked off by a set of arms being thrown around his neck.

"This is wonderful! I'm so happy for you! And that means we'll be working together!"

"I...I'm not sure I understand. I thought you were keeping your job at the auror's office?"

Tonks released Remus, feeling that he was having difficulty breathing under her death grip. She wished in that moment even more desperately that she could see him.

"I am! But after the last year we've had, the Ministry decided to place some of us at Hogwarts. I wasn't sure how I was going to tell you, but now-"

This time it was the metamorphmagus who was silenced by a pair of hungry lips crashing against her own. She felt a pair of rough hands grip her hips as Remus pulled her under him, being careful to settle his weight onto his knees so as not to crush her.

"And here I was worried we'd have to be apart" he purred, lips pressed against her ear, tongue darting out to lap at the sensitive lobe, sending a shiver down Tonks's spine.

"We'll have to be careful, can't have the whole castle listening to you howl all night, ey Moony?"

Remus ground his hips against Tonks's center, eliciting a sharp moan.

"I don't think it's me who'll be howling, Nymphadora."

"SILENCING CHARMS ARE A BLESSING AND YOU SHOULD BLOODY WELL USE THEM!"

Tonks and Lupin both sprang apart as Sirius bellowed from outside the door, both grateful for the darkness around them so neither could see how pink the other was turning.

"Well, there goes the mood. You hungry?"

"Suddenly yes. Let's see what we can find in the kitchen."

The two of them got dressed in proper bed clothes and shuffled down to the kitchen where they found a very tired looking Sirius pouring over a copy of the Daily Prophet.

"Moony I love you more than a hormonal teenage girl loves my good looks, but I could genuinely go my whole life without listening to you shagging my cousin."

Sirius's voice carried his usual jovial nonchalant tone, but his brow stayed furrowed and he didn't look up from the paper.

"Whats wrong Snuffles? No funnies today?"

Sirius ignored Tonks, flipping the page and staring into the ink filled pages even more intensely.

"Sirius. What are you looking for?"

The dog animagus let out a long sigh, closing the paper.

"News of the worst. A new uprising, dark mark sightings, death eaters still at large. I know I shouldn't be seeking out darkness but I can't help but feel like all the worst hasnt come to pass yet. I can't believe its over. There's something, someone-"

" _Sirius_."

Tonks's gripped the older man's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"I know you're worried, and you're right. There will always be someone and something else ready to commit atrocities, but this time we'll be ready. If the wizarding world could come together to fight Voldemort you know we can take whatever comes next."

Sirius was quiet for a moment before he spoke in a hoarse whisper.

"I have to protect him."

Tonks shrank away from the admission, staring fiercely into the ground. It had to be hard for Sirius: falsely framed and imprisoned for 12 years, stuck in his hated childhood home for another year, and then stuck in the unknown limbo of the veil for another two years, only plucked from arch just days before the final battle at Hogwarts. He hadn't been well enough to fight but he still went, helping set traps in the castle and working as a last line of defense for the youngest muggleborn students. Frail as he was, he still managed to pull himself into the thick of battle, protecting Lupin from one of Dolohov's curses and dueling Bellatrix Lestrange alongside Molly Weasley after she made a move on Tonks and two of the Weasley children. Harry was beside himself to see his Godfather after all that time, but still, Sirius felt guilty that he wasn't there to protect him. He felt he had a lifetime of Harry's pain and loneliness to make up for.

"You will protect him, Sirius. If the need arises. But for now there's peace, or at least something close to it. Lets try to enjoy it, yeah?" Remus soothed.

Sirius blinked back the tears that had been welling in his eyes and sniffed hard.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right."

At that moment Tonks saw her opening and took it.

"Yeah, lets focus on the good stuff. Like Moony and the Marauders and their stellar cover of 'Hey Jude'!"

Remus's felt his blood run cold as Sirius fell over the table, barking with laughter.

"What do you know?"

It came out sounding more like a statement than a question. Remus had no doubts that his mother likely took glee in sharing everything about her only son.

"I found an old record in you room and...kinda fell on it... Quit laughing Sirius!"

"Oh I'm sorry," The dog snorted, "would you like for Sirius to be _serious_?"

Tonks rolled her eyes, walking over to her knapsack and pulling out one of the records from Remus's bedroom.

"I found this too. Off By Lyric! You never told me you liked them, these guys are rock legends! They're on their last tour ever, we should go!"

Remus, whom had been turning the album over lovingly in his long fingers jerked back slightly at this.

"No, no no no, it's been too long Tonks. Maybe if I were your age, but I hardly think an old, weather worn wizard like me has any place in the pit."

"Come ooooon Remus! We've all lived lives where 'one last chance' has become our gospel. Lets have a positive one last chance for once! They're coming to London next week, it's not far!"

"Come on, Moony!" Sirius clapped a hand down on Remus's shoulder, doggish grin growing. "She's right. 'Course she is, she has a handsome, witty, Adonis for a cousin, runs in the blood you know? We should all go! We'll get pissy drunk on firewhiskey and punch people! It'll be like old times!"

Remus let out a long sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. He could hardly ever tell Tonks no- the woman had a great many ways of convincing him of things. But when his old friend, who spent far too long as a prisoner, asked for something, it almost always broke him. And Merlin, when the two of them plotted together...

"Alright, alright...Tonks, I'll leave the tickets to you. Just don't give me enough time to change my mind."

"To whimp out you mean," Tonks hissed, returning Sirius's high five as if on cue.

Remus dismissed himself and let the two Black cousins chatter excitedly about their upcoming night out. After all that they had been through, he cherished every smile, every laugh, every high five- even if they sometimes came at his own expense. To Remus, his friends deserved the absolute world, and if he could do anything to give it to them, he would.

xXxXx

"Tonks I can't-"

"Yes you can. You look damn good Remus."

The week before the show passed by in a blur. With the new Hogwarts term fast approaching, both Remus and Tonks had flown in and out of the old Black manor at a breakneck pace. Duties at the Ministry were always calling, the full moon had passed, the house always needed restocking in one thing or another, Hogwarts had begun new teacher briefings at Hogsmede in an effort to bolster security measures and awareness— truly both Order members were absolutely exhausted. In the madness that had ensued over the last seven days they'd hardly seen each other, only stopping to say goodnight or good morning and running off to their next engagement. Even Sirius had been in and out of the house more often than usual, often coming home at odd hours and moving in secret, going so far as to ask Tonks if a fourth ticket to the show could be purchased for a 'friend'.

But that night was theirs to have. A small refuge in the din of responsibility that had consumed them. Tonks took great joy in dressing Remus up, procuring a old brown leather jacket and boots for him to wear and slicking his thinning hair back, a band tee hanging loosely on him. Her own cropped tee, torn jeans, and fishnets were so typical to her style it was like breathing air, although she opted to wear her normally bright pink hair in a fiery orange to encourage Remus to step outside the box.

"Are...are you certain about this Dora? You're going to be there with an old man-"

"Front and center, rocking out, and not giving a shit who cares. I want to go, Remus, and I want to be there with you."

Another protest made its way to Remus's lips but a defiant look from Tonks silenced it.

"We should head there now, Sirius is already there with...well whoever he's with."

Tonks and Lupin made quick work of apparating to the venue: a large arena just outside of London proper where no muggles would come snooping. Remus had to admit he felt excitement building up as he walked into the building, witches and wizards of varying ages clad in black leather, queuing up to buy beer and merchandise at the many booths lining the atrium.

"Go get us some drinks! I'll fight my way to a spot! They've got anti-apparition spells up, otherwise I'd just pop up center stage."

Tonks gave Remus a wink before turning heel and running toward the gates.

"Wait, how will I find you?"

Tonks turned her head to face him, still running towards the gates but flashing her hair different neon colors. She was a beacon in a sea of black.

Remus found a line selling firewhiskey and settled in for what would undoubtedly be a long wait. A few people ahead of him he noticed a couple, already rather tipsy, falling all over each other. Even from the back the pair looked good together, both tall and dressed in leather like everyone else. The woman caught Remus's eye, much to his own guilt. He couldn't see her face but the short, corseted dress she wore showed off her ample curves, her hair falling in a long, straight, midnight black sheet. The very way she stood commanded attention, despite her drunkenly stumbling as the line moved forward, clutching her long, manicured fingers around her partner's arm.

Before long, the couple purchased their drinks, Remus trying desperately to get a peak of their faces, but his view was obscured by the many milling show attendees. Once he secured whiskey for himself and his own date, he passed through the gates, searching the crowd for his young partner.

It didn't take long for him to spot the Hufflepuff, her hair in mid transition from bright yellow to acid green. Somehow she managed to fight her way through the mass of eager fans to a spot directly under the lead mic.

"Here I thought you left me!" Tonks shouted over the buzz of the crowd as Remus sidestepped and apologized his way to her, grateful that he hadn't slopped all of their overpriced drinks out of their cups by the time he got to her.

"Have you seen Padfoot?"

"WHAT?!"

"Have you seen-"

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"HAVE YOU SEEN-"

Remus abandoned the question when the crowd began all at once to scream, the three members of Off By Lyric walking on stage, strumming out opening chords, tossing thinning, greying hair over their shoulders.

"HOW ARE YOU DOIN' TONIGHT LONDON?!"

The roar grew impossibly louder. Tonks beamed up at Remus who returned the smile, both buzzing with anticipation.

"LET'S DO THIS RIGHT LONDON! 1! 2! 1, 2, 3-"

Remus didn't know when he downed his drink, when he tossed the cup on the ground without a thought, or when the ache in his aging knees left him to allow him to bounce in rhythm with the drums, but all at once he felt the youngest he had in years. There wasn't a single line or lyric that he didn't know, and he didn't care if he missed the notes. He could feel the young boy who spent hours spinning records taking the lead, finally living his dream, made better only by the lively young witch bouncing and screaming along with him.

Song after song passed, and in a blur the first half of the set was over, the members of OBL vowing to return to the screaming audience in twenty minutes.

"More drinks?" Tonk gasped hoarsely, one arm wrapped around Remus, the other wiping sweat from her forehead.

"Definitely drinks. Think we can get back to this spot?"

Tonks answered with a wicked grin.

"Oh they'll have to kill me if they want this spot."

The two walked arm and arm back to the atrium, finding the shortest line to purchase more fire whiskey from, debating whether it would be worth risking missing the beginning of the second half to wait for merch.

"Oi, there's my cousin now!"

Remus and Tonks turned to see Sirius walking up, an arm tossed around a witch neither recognized. At least, a witch Tonks didn't recognize. If she was nice from the back, Remus thought, she was mesmerizing from the front.

If he didn't know better, Remus would have thought she was a missing Black sister. Her skin was pale and somewhat grey, face littered with faint freckles that danced across her nose between her dark, heavy lidded eyes and full lips. Her brows were arched impossibly high, cheekbones and somewhat square jawline sharp- she would've given the impression of haughtiness if not for the small smile dancing across her lips. Truly the only thing marring her beauty was a small, odd scar that ran from one of the peaks of her cupid's bow to just under her nose.

"There you are Sirius!"

"Hey kid. Saw you two down there! Looks like the old man is having a good time!"

The dark haired witched nudged Sirius in the ribs, saying nothing but passing a playful, scolding glance at the animagus.

"Oh, I'm only joking. You look good out there, Moony. Both of you."

Tonks blushed at the wink Sirius gave her, subconsciously wrapping her arm tighter around Lupin.

"Doesn't he look handsome? Took an hour to talk him into a leather jacket. But wait a second, Sirius who's your friend?! Introduce us!"

Sirius didn't have time to answer before a blue haired twenty something shoved Remus out of the way and wrapped an arm around Tonks.

"Hey baby, what are doing with this old sad sack? I saw you shaking that ass out there, why don't you come hang with me and my boys?"

"Fuck off! I'm here with my boyfriend, jackass, now get your goddamn hands off me!"

Tonks gave the punk a hard shove and spat in his face, hand reaching for her wand in case things escalated. Sirius and Remus had already drawn theirs.

"I think you oughta get out of here unless you wanna duel with that 'old sad sack'. He knows a number of hexes that'll take the most experienced healer some time to undo."

The boy looked back and forth between the two older men before tossing his hands up in exasperation.

"Fine. When you get tired of hanging around your chaperones, come find me for a good time."

"Doubtful."

Sirius and Remus kept their wands raised until they were certain he was gone.

"He's right you know," Remus sighed, obviously crestfallen, "I am too old for this. Maybe you should enjoy the rest of the show on your own."

"No."

The look in Tonks's eyes was enough to send a chill down the wolf's spine. Behind them the crowd began roaring again, signaling the beginning of the last half of the act.

"C'mon," She said, grabbing Remus's hand, "Fuck that kid, let's go."

The four of them fought their way back to the front and center of the stage just in time for the band to begin their first song. This time Tonks faced Remus, arms up in the air, hips shaking, eyes never leaving his. Her body told the story she couldn't say with her mouth: she was his. No one else's. Regardless of age or wealth or danger, he was what she wanted.

Once again the songs sped by, each one bringing Tonks and Remus's bodies closer together until they were pressed together, the crowd sealing them in. All at once they were kissing. Remus felt rather silly- like a horny teenager snogging his girlfriend at a show- but he didn't care. Everything about Tonks made Remus feel young again.

"Look at these folks here! Give my man a hand for bagging the hottest broad in the room, mates!"

The crowd around them screamed and hollered, encouraging them. Remus tried to pull away, face pink with embarrassment, but Tonks grabbed him and crushed her lips against his again.

"This man's been singing along all night, ladies and gents! Lets have him on stage!"

"Oh no-"

The crowd parted and created a path for Remus to the stage. He looked back, nervously, and was greeted by the grins of his two friends and the quiet smile of the mystery woman. Taking a breath he walked on stage, head swimming in disbelief as one of his childhood heroes clapped him on the back and shook his hand.

"What's your name sir?"

"Re- err...Moony."

"GIVE MOONY A HAND EVERYBODY!"

Screams answered the call. Remus felt himself growing warmer.

"Alright Moony, put your lips on the mic here! I know you know this one! ARE YOU READY LONDON?!"

The first bars started. Remus's ears were greeted by a familiar, bright staccato guitar riff. He felt himself start to sweat, but as he looked into the crowd his eyes locked with his lover's and he felt courage flood him as if he'd just taken a shot of firewhiskey.

Remus sang along quietly into the mic so he could barely be heard over the lead vocalist, but before long he found himself singing more confidently.

 _"Well how's your view of things today?_

 _Got up young to fade away._

 _The sinners sin but aren't aware,_

 _Our fables take us everywhere-_

 _I... can't... keep... up with you..._

 _I... can't. keep. up."_

Tonks grabbed the mystery girl's hand and dragged her away from Sirius, causing the woman to erupt into a fit of shy giggles. Both women wound around each other, bodies moving along to quick pace of the song.

Remus watched from the stage, feeling as he sang along that he was singing to Tonks- no- about Tonks. A woman he had no business being with but still loved dearly. The only person that could not only drag him out to a place like this, but make him feel like he belonged there.

 _"You... are creating all the bubbles at night_

 _I'm... chasing round trying to pop them all the time_

 _We... don't need to trust a single word they say_

 _You... are creating all the bubbles at play"_

Again, Tonks's eye's locked with Remus's, but this time there was something else there: a danger. A mischievous glint. A promise to drag Remus into her manic pixie dream girl waters and drown him in it. Somehow he couldn't think of a sweeter death.

" _There's a girl, there's a girl_

 _There's a girl, there's a girl_

 _And she's down by the river..._

 _In her own creepy world_

 _There's a girl, there's a girl_

 _And she's down by the river..._

 _It's time to consider..._

 _That baby is a sinner..._

 _She'll wash away your sins_

 _She'll wash away your sins_

 _She'll wash away your sins and go home_ "

The rest of the song passed in a haze of colored lights and screaming. Remus was thoroughly convinced that he was living in a dream, only jolted back to reality when his girlfriend threw herself at him.

"I know its selfish," she purred, trying her hardest to be heard but also stay confidential, "but I honestly can't wait to get out of here."

Remus felt the heat in his face shift down to the inside of his thighs, heart beating inside his ears. The situation was not helped by Tonks's spending the rest of the night with her ass firmly pressed against his beltline, hips swiveling against his, occasionally throwing wonton glances over her shoulder, the sweat dripping from her face into her cleavage only making Remus's already sore throat more dry.

xXxXx

"Can't believe you actually got up there, Moony. James would've been damn proud."

"Yes...I suppose he would be, wouldn't he? Nice of them to give us some free merchandise, too. Signed and everything!"

Remus and Sirius turned their tees over in there hands as they left the venue, trying to find a suitable spot to apparate back to Grimmauld place.

"Is your friend coming along with us, Sirius?"

The mystery witch had been tagging along with them the entire night, and even then was right behind Sirius and Remus.

"Ahh, actually, thats a good question. Did you want to come along, kitten?"

The woman's face flushed a pretty pink as she nodded so slightly it was nearly undetectable.

"Well that's that decided. Remember, silencing charms are your friend!"

With that, Sirius reached out for the woman's hand and apparated away with a small ' _pop_ ', leaving Remus and Tonks alone.

"Ready?"

Tonks shuddered, Remus's voice made huskier by how hoarse he was. She nodded, taking his hand and apparating with him.

Remus apparated them straight into their shared bedroom, wasting no time in locking the door and casting silencing charms. He could see Tonks sipping a contraceptive potion out of the corner of his eye.

In a flash he was on her, one hand on her back pulling her against her, the other winding its way through her hair, deepening their kiss and he slid his tongue across her bottom lip, waiting for her to grant access for him to explore. She relented, letting him back her into the bed, sitting down when her knees hit the end of the mattress, reaching up to push the jacket off of the wolf's shoulders.

Remus pulled Tonks's shirt over her head, growling upon seeing she wore nothing underneath it. He kissed a rough path from her lips across her neck, pausing to nip at all the sensitive spots on her neck, earning him a little gasp from the young witch. He continued lower, taking a rosy nipple into his mouth and suckling gently, fingers mocking the actions of his tongue on the the other.

Tonks was a mess at this point, gasping and clawing at Remus's back, hips arching up into his, core burning with intense need.

"Remus please...not tonight... don't tease me.. I need-"

Remus came up for air, making quick work of the rest of her clothes and his. He sat Tonks comfortably in the edge of the bed and lined his length up with her slick entrance. He hesitated for a moment. It had been some time between the end of the war and all the time spent as ships in the night while running back and forth to the Ministry and Hogwarts. Even after the night they'd just had, he couldn't be sure.

"Remus... I'm yours."

That was all it took for Remus to sink himself in side of her.

It was quick- rough and desperate. The climax left them both passed out on top of each other, panting. It wasn't ideal, but for the time being it was what they both needed. In the dark of the old manor they curled together, holding each other until they both fell asleep.

In the morning, Tonks got up to cook for the boys, humming the song Remus got to sing the night before, albeit a bit painfully since her throat was still raw from shouting all night.

' _And not just from the show'_ , She thought to herself, a dirty smile winding its way across her lips.

The floor board upstairs creaked loudly and Tonks cringed before remembering that together she and Remus had finally removed the screaming portrait of Walburga. She poked her head out of the kitchen to see the dark eyed witch attempting to slip out of the house.

"Hey there! You don't have to leave you know! There's plenty for breakfast!"

The witch said nothing, but turned her head, one eye visible from under her cloak of raven hair. Again, she didn't speak, but the skin around her eyes crinkled in a clear smile. She turned again and left the house, leaving Tonks to feel that she had just received the most bizarre and yet strangely polite turn down of her life.

It didn't take long for the boys to come downstairs after the smell of bacon began wafting throughout the house.

"Your lady left you know. Did the walk of shame this morning. You could have at least leant her a tee shirt."

Sirius shrugged, shoveling eggs into his mouth and barely chewing before chasing them down with coffee.

"We didn't even get her name, Sirius. Been a long time since I've seen you with a woman. I was beginning to wonder."

This earned Remus a piece of toast being thrown at him.

"So nosy aren't you? All in due time, I promise. But why talk about that when we can talk about something much more interesting?"

Tonks and Remus shared a glance before wearily turning back to Sirius.

"Oh?"

Sirius leaned back in his seat, kicking his feet back onto the table and resting his head in his interlocked fingers.

"What would you say if I told you you were looking at Hogwarts's newest assistant professor?"

 **A/N: If you're curious, "Off By Lyric" is an anagram for "Biffy Clyro", the real band who performs "Bubbles", the song referenced here.**

 **Thank you again for reading, its been such an incredibly long time since I've written anything. Reviews are greatly appreciated, even if they're short! I'd love to do some prompt/fluff chapters in this if people have suggestions!**


	2. Teacher, Assistant, and Guard

"No freaking way."

Tonks and Lupin shared shocked glances with each other, utter disbelief splashed across their faces as they stared at the smug animagus.

"Oh yes dear cousin, got Minerva's owl just moments ago."

Sirius flung a piece of toast straight into the air and caught it in his teeth, eyes closed while he chewed, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

"What on earth are you going to teach? 'A History of Dung Bombs'? 'Defense Against Ass Scratching?'"

"I'm technically not teaching, I'm assisting", Sirius corrected. "And I'll have you know that Minerva has full confidence that I'll be wonderful in aiding Hagrid this year."

"Care of Magical Creatures? They're letting you around not only children, but around potentially dangerous animals? Does Minerva want a massacre?"

Sirius rolled his eyes at Remus.

"I take care of your furry ass during the full moon, don't I? Buckbeak is still alive and well upstairs in the attic. Hell, I'm a dog- I think I can handle a flobberworm or two."

Tonks and Remus once again shared dubious looks. The pink haired witch was the first to relent with a sigh.

"Well... I suppose it'll be nice to be all together..."

Sirius clapped his hands together, finally losing the testy expression that he'd adopted.

"But you're gonna need new clothes! Your normal stuff will never pass."

"What's wrong with my normal clothes?"

"Sirius please," Tonks sighed, "I love your wardrobe, I do, but unbuttoned silk tops and v-neck tees are hardly appropriate for a professor."

"Now you sound like Molly. Since when were you the responsible one?"

A grin broke out on Tonks's face.

"Dunno. Maybe its from hanging out with you old farts. I'm losing my _edge_."

This earned her a slice of toast in the face.

"Speaking of Molly and old farts," Remus began, "aren't the kids coming over soon? Its been a while since we've seen Harry."

It had been.

Sirius's guilt at being unable to see Harry after all that had transpired settled like an anchor at the pit of his stomach. One moment he was embracing his godson, dark lord vanquished, the danger finally quelled. And then he was gone. The Ministry had questions. The Prophet demanded answers. At once, Harry belonged to the people of the wizarding world when all he wanted to do was recuse himself from it- if only for a short time to process the years it took to finally end the reign of the dark lord.

Sirius himself was busy getting his name cleared after the war. Molly and Arthur helped him get cleaned up and create a temporary image of a clean-cut man who was so clearly framed. He was glad to be given a potion to regrow his hair after the proper, foppish haircut Molly had given him.

"We should have them over for dinner tomorrow. No Molly, none of the other Weasleys- not just yet. Just our kids. Dumbledore's Army, you know?"

"I think they'd like that", Remus agreed, getting up to help Tonks clear the table.

"Does this mean I'm cooking?"

"Would you, oh cousin of mine?"

Tonks groaned but hid a smile by turning to face the sink. She was glad to see Sirius making plans and looking lively. It was much better than the dead-eyed stare that he'd adopted when they first got him home. They tried to ask him what he'd seen in the veil, how he'd crawled his way to the front of the arch to be pulled out by a Ministry worker. He wouldn't say. He'd vowed to never reveal the truth of that place.

xXxXx

Tonks left work early the next day to gather groceries and begin cooking for the little reunion. Though she was weary of his over-enthusiasm with a knife, she was grateful for Sirius's help in the kitchen. Her mother, a regular homemaker, had passed along several quick recipes that were appropriate for feeding a large gathering, but keeping track of what went with what and when to start cooking one bit or another always eluded Tonks. A beef and potato stew was on the menu that night, along with as much butterbeer as Remus could gather at the market. Sirius suggested the dessert: pumpkin pasties, Harry's favorite.

"I'm gonna give ol' Buckbeak the scraps and take her for a quick fly. Poor girl needs to stretch her wings. Be back soon, don't start without me!"

Remus and Tonks finished preparing the meal, taking moments to steal kisses and play grab-ass like a couple teenagers. When Sirius returned, he made a point to make vomiting sounds and roll his eyes at the two lovebirds. Tonks was trying not to fall backwards into the sink while Remus peppered her with kisses when there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it!"

Sirius ran to the door, stumbling slightly in his enthusiasm in a way that reminded Tonks of herself.

"Good to see you Padfoot."

"Harry!"

Remus and Tonks watched from the doorway of the kitchen as Sirius and Harry embraced, arms tight around each other as though they were both scared that the other would disappear if they let go.

"It's been too long. Where are my manners? Ron! Hermione!"

Sirius hugged the other two as Harry came forward to hug both Remus and, to her surprise, Tonks. Once Ron and Hermione ducked in, Neville, Luna, and Ginny walked in, all beaming at Sirius.

"Good to see you Snuffles," Luna said, lilting voice ringing in Sirius's ears.

"Glad to see you too, sunshine."

The kids gathered round the table, each taking a seat and helping to serve each other the stew, which Tonks was happy to not have ruined. They talked for a while about nothing important. There was still a lot of tension, the war had taken from all of them, and though they laughed and joked, it was clear from the bags under their eyes that they were still exhausted. Sirius felt himself clutch his butterbeer hard enough to shatter the glass when Hermione's sleeve rolled up high enough to reveal the scar that spelled 'mudblood'.

"Sirius," Tonks whispered, prodding the wizard and pulling him out of his blind rage. "Didn't you just hear Hermione? The kids are returning to Hogwarts this year!"

"'Mione's returning for her last year," Ron corrected thickly through a large mouthful of potato. "Luna and Ginny are finishing their last year, Neville's redoing his. Harry and I are only taking a couple classes because the Ministry's asked us to."

"What's the Ministry doing, asking you to take classes?" Sirius questioned.

"Auror training," Ron replied. "They want us to take another course in defense against the dark arts and charms of all things. As if Harry needs another defense class. Defeated the bloody dark lord, didn't he?"

"And so did you," Hermione said, stopping Ron from feeling put out before he could start. "But Harry's said it himself, we've had a lot of luck all these years. There are still spells that could have helped us greatly had we learned them. It'll be good for you."

Harry and Ron both shrugged.

"I hope they at least have a decent professor this year. Haven't had a decent one since Moody, and that wasn't even Moody."

Remus grinned at this.

"Well in that case it may be a relief to you to know that I'll be teaching this year. I'm also taking over as Head of Gryffindor House for Minerva."

"What?! No way!"

All the kids looked at each other, smiles growing.

"I was horrified of defense before you taught, you'll be great," Neville piped up, mind turning to the image of Snape in his grandmother's clothes.

"Well he won't be alone now will he?" Sirius stood and tossed his arms around Tonks and Remus's shoulders. "I'm teaching too!"

Hermione gagged on her butterbeer as Harry's eyes grew wide.

"Don't worry love," Tonks said, catching Hermione's mortified expression. "He's not teaching, he's assisting Hagrid. The world isn't ending quite yet. And if he happens to get up to any funny business I'll be stationed at the school as a sentry, so I'll handle him."

"Wait," Harry said, a smile on his face so large it looked to split his face in two. "So you're all going to be at Hogwarts this year?"

The elder trio nodded.

"Hogwarts is about to be an absolute madhouse. Fred and George will be pissed when they hear what they're missing out on," Ginny said, smirking from beneath her glass of butterbeer.

"They really should consider finishing," Hermione said, frowning. "You never know what you may be able to pick up from the professors."

"I'm glad they're running the joke shop again," Luna said, helping Sirius pass out the pumpkin pasties. "People need a bit of laughter more than ever now."

"Speaking of the shop," Sirius said, "Did I see you in Ollivander's new shop the other day, sunshine?"

Luna turned a bright shade of pink. She'd stayed with Ollivander after they'd been freed from captivity, finding that the death eaters had warped her father's mind in much the same way as they had done with the Longbottoms. Though her father had a much better outlook, she needed a temporary caretaker, and Ollivander was more than willing to take her in.

"Yes. Olllivander has been helping me with my experiments. I had a few ideas for new wand cores." Her face turned a deeper shade of red. "He told me to finish my schooling and that after he would take me on as a proper apprentice. I might take over for him some day."

"That's wonderful Luna! I think you'd make an excellent wandmaker!"

Luna turned away, looking thoroughly like a ripe tomato.

"What about you, Neville?," Lupin asked, "what made you decide to go back?"

Neville blushed himself.

"I'm... considering a position as an auror as well."

"If that's the case," Tonks piped up, "We're about to have some of the coolest Aurors of the century."

The rest of the night passed entirely too quickly for Sirius's tastes. The kids shared their tales of dealing with the Ministry, dodging Rita Skeeter and her new fleet of conspirators, and of checking in on old friends from Hogwarts. The night got even more interesting when Ginny suggested a three-on-three game of quidditch: her, Harry, and Ron, vs. Sirius, Tonks, and Lupin. Lupin quickly refused, using the washing up as an excuse. He and Hermione stayed in to clean up while the rest went out, Luna commentating and Neville refereeing.

When the kids finally left, Sirius felt the anchor in his stomach settle heavily again.

"S'alright Padfoot," Remus soothed, "it's only another week till the start of term. We'll see them again.

Remus was right, and yet again, the next week passed at a feverish pace. This time the elder trio could not keep up, and the three of them found themselves haphazardly tossing their belongings into trunks.

"C'mon! The portkey leaves with or without us in 3 minutes!"

"I'm...bloody...trying!" Sirius grunted in response to Tonks. "The damn case wont shut!"

Tonks groaned, dropping the rusty old kettle that was to serve as their ride to the castle on the floor, leveling her wand with Sirius's overpacked trunk.

" _Collosacculus!_ "

At once, the trunk snapped closed, bulging threateningly at the seams, but secure all the same.

" _Remus!_ "

"I'm coming, woman!"

Remus swung around the corner toting his own over-large bag.

"Bloody hell."

The three of them grabbed ahold of the kettle without an extra moment to spare, immediately being whisked away. When they reappeared, they found themselves under the shadow of the great, looming castle.

Hogwarts.

xXxXx

There was certainly a different air about the place in the wake of the battle. For the most part, they had done a decent job repairing the damage done to the castle, but a few towers still had bits blown out of it. The children seemed somewhat apprehensive to be there, eyes turning away from certain doors or places in the hall- places where they'd lost friends and innocence. Though the atmosphere was somewhat melancholy, there was also something hopeful about seeing the first years gather in front of the doors to the Great Hall, waiting for the sorting ceremony. Not all was lost.

Tonks dismissed herself almost immediately upon getting inside, leaving to change into the plum robes she'd been given to identify her as a Ministry sentry. Sirius and Remus climbed the tower to the teacher's quarters, changing into proper robes before heading down to the first feast of the year.

"Strange, isn't Moony? To be on the other side of things?"

"I suppose so. But then again, I've done it once before, haven't I?"

"Yeah...but you know what this means now, right?"

"...we're the enemy."

Both groaned as they pushed open the door leading to the professor's table. As they sat, they took stock of the room: McGonagal sat in the Headmistress's chair, Flitwick beside her to the left, Lupin taking a seat to the right. There was an empty seat beside Lupin, and Sirius and Hagrid sat beside each other. Lupin frowned at the empty seat, waiting and watching as other teachers took seats on the other side of the table. Sitting out at the tables, Lupin spotted Harry, Ron, and Hermione, taking a moment to wave discretely to them. Sirius decided a dog whistle would be more appropriate. Neville and Ginny were sitting not to far away, heads down, speaking in whispers. They looked up only for a moment to smile at the two marauders. Luna sat with her legs folded beneath her at the end of the Ravenclaw table, grinning at both professors. Just before McGonagal began her start of the year address, half a dozen wizards in plum robes marched into the hall. They kept their heads down, stance broad, faces hidden under hoods. Lupin wouldn't have known which was Tonks if not for the stray strand of pink hair peeking out from behind one of the hoods.

"Your attention please."

Minerva stood. The hall went quiet. She took a moment to survey the students before speaking again.

"This year at Hogwarts is going to be a very different one from the years prior. We've lost much in the past year. Feared much. Wondered where and how to start again. For the first time since Hogwarts' inception, we considered not holding the sorting ceremony."

The hall broke out in murmurs almost instantly, confused faces discussing the suggestion before the Headmistress cleared her throat again.

"We feared," She explained, "that to separate the students would only serve to aid the segregation that contaminated the wizarding community at large in the face of Voldemort's regime. But then we realized that to pretend that each of us is no different than the other would be just as foolish as claiming that some are better than others. Whether pureblood or muggleborn, Hufflepuff or Gryffindor, who you are makes you special. Who you are should be celebrated. And as such, we decided that the sorting ceremony should continue.

"We do have some changes occurring this year that we would like you to aware of. This year, the Ministry has provided a guard force to protect the students. Should you see or hear anything suspicious from your peers or even a professor, please seek one of them out. They are there to help you. In addition, we have yet to name a Slytherin Head of House, as the position of Potions master has not yet been filled. Until it is filled, you would please, report to me for anything regarding the Slytherin house. Professor Flitwick will be standing in as Potions master for the first day of classes and onward until we secure our new professor. With that, let us begin the sorting ceremony."

Lupin and Sirius found themselves tuning in and out of the ceremony, no names of interest catching their attention. Lupin perked up each time the hat roared " _GRYFFINDOR!_ ", being sure to smile warmly at the newest members of his house. Soon, the sorting was done, dinner and dessert eaten, and students heading off to the dormitories. Lupin headed straight to bed, sighing contentedly when his face hit the pillow... before being roughly jumped on by an unseen assailant.

"Moonyyyyyyyyy, how could you be sleeping on a night like this? C'mon! The remaining marauders are back in business! Time to creep in the halls, set off dung bombs, stay up past curfew!"

Lupin groaned, working a kink out of his neck and quirking a brow at Sirius, trying hard not to laugh at his friend's doggish grin.

"Sirius," Lupin sighed, "we're hardly students, remember? We don't have a curfew. And I don't think dungbombs are exactly appropriate for the first day of a new job. At least if you want to keep it anyway.

Sirius pouted.

"Well if you're feeling restless, why don't we take a walk around the castle? Maybe we'll run into Tonks."

"Fiiiiiiine. Let's go to the Owlery. I have a letter I need to send anyway."

The two men walked the winding halls and changing staircases of the castle for what felt like some time. They reminisced about old capers, lamented the absence of their other friend, wondered at what job James would've taken, or what class he would teach. They had settled on James being the flying instructor when they reached the owlery.

"Who are sending a letter to anyway? Everyone you speak to is here, minus maybe Molly and the Twins."

"Mind your business," Sirius grumbled, tying his letter to a large barn owl.

"Look!" He shouted, cutting off Remus's response. "Pink hair!"

Down on the grounds, just beside the lake, was indeed one of the Ministry sentries, hood off now, revealing a bright head of pink hair.

"Guess we know where she's stationed now. Too bad it wasn't somewhere in the building, no sneaking off for quickies, eh?"

"Padfoot!"

"Keep up, old man!"

Sirius took off running, leaving Remus to chase after him. He slid down banisters, jumped stairwells, and ran through ghosts, hair flying wildly around him.

"Padfoot, slow down!"

Remus did his best to jog behind him, sliding down the odd banister and walking around the ghosts, apologizing for Sirius's recklessness. He couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face as he ran across the grounds to the lake. It was like old times all over again, Sirius always bold and brash, always dragging him into things he feared he'd regret, but ultimately he always ended up feeling alive. The place in his heart where he kept the memory of James and young Peter throbbed painfully. If only things hadn't turned out the way they had.

"Wotcher Remus. Sirius."

"Having fun playing soldier?"

"As much fun as one could. I'm glad our posts revolve though, the lake is gonna be miserable in the winter."

Lupin stole a quick kiss from Tonks, removing his cloak to have a place to sit out on the ground. The other two followed suit, Tonks going the extra step to remove her boots and dig her toes into the sand.

"Odd business, having no head of Slytherin. What'd'you think is up?"

"Snivellus must be a hard act to follow huh," Sirius grumbled, earning a smack on the arm from Lupin.

"I'm honestly a bit concerned. I was depending on having a Potions master here to create wolfsbane."

"I'm certain Minerva could do it. Otherwise I'll send in a request to the Ministry."

"Hmm."

They were all quiet for a moment, the only sound being the crickets and the gentle churning of the lake. It was peaceful here, familiar, warm. Each of them silently thanked the stars for bringing them together to this one place.

Eventually, Sirius and Remus bid Tonks goodnight, Tonks mentioning that her shift ended only a little after one in the morning if anyone ever wanted to "visit" the guards quarters. Sirius gagged at this.

Once back at the teachers dorms, Sirius and Remus separated as well, each promising the other that they would find some mischief to get up to that year. For now, Lupin had arrangements to make, and Sirius had a class bright and early.

Their year was bound to be an eventful one.

xXxXx

"So what are we teaching today, big guy? Dragons? Thestrals? Crumplehorned snorkacks? Give me the business, I can handle it!"

Sirius had been jabbing and waving his wand in the air, pretending to fence an invisible opponent as he and Hagrid approached his hut for the first ever lessons of the year. Remus, whom had agreed to watch, was already there.

"'Fraid not" Hagrid thundered, clapping a massive hand on Sirius's shoulder, "gotter save the real fun stuff fer later in the year, eh?" He punctuated this with a wink. "No, its unicorns fer the first few weeks."

Sirius groaned, feeling his fun had been spoiled as he approached the two silvery horned horses.

"Disappointed that feral veela weren't the first lesson, eh Padfoot?"

"There's still hope Moony."

Sirius spun to face Hagrid.

"Let's have a little fun, ey friend? Why don't we tie these guys out of sight until we're ready for the big reveal?"

Hagrid quirked an overlarge brow at this, but smiled at Sirius in the end, helping him strategically tie the creatures to the back of the hut, well out of sight from where the students would be. Soon they arrived- third and fourth year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws- all gathering round and taking seats on the grass.

"Welcome!" Hagrid boomed, grinning at all the new, apprehensive students. "Welcome tae yer first Care of Magical Creatures class! Today we got a real treat fer yeh-"

"A treat indeed!" Sirius shouted, trying to match Hagrid's volume as he sprang out from behind the half giant, arms gesturing widely. He could see Remus facepalming in the back of the students as he did so, lamenting his friend's flamboyant introduction.

"I'm your newest assistant professor, Professor Black... err, no, that really won't do. Honestly, just call me Sirius. Or just call me the morning after if you're a muggleborn, eh?"

Sirius leaned down and winked at a third year Hufflepuff, sending her into a fit of giggles. Remus groaned. Sirius's flirtatiousness was only made more poignant by his decision to ignore Tonks's advice to skip out on his usual clothes. His half-buttoned silk shirt was catching a few girls attention, his tattoos becoming the subject of discussion behind many a gossiping hand.

"Today were dealin' with a magnificent creature-"

"Yes! Magnificent indeed!"

Sirius hopped up onto a flat rock, crouching low, keeping his voice in a scandalous but audible whisper.

"A great, terrible beast! Many a witch and wizard have met their end at its glory-"

"Thar gentle creatures normally-"

"Great, big, strong limbs!"

Hagrid tossed his arms into the air, hiding his smile.

"Well a'right, you do the intro then!"

"Ladies and gentlewizards! I present to you!:"

Hagrid brought out the two unicorns from behind his hut. The gathering of students who had been quite tense burst out laughing.

"Unicorns? You had me thinking it was dementors or something!" One Ravenclaw cried out.

"Ah, but don't be fooled, the unicorn is indeed a dangerous creature. Which leads me to our first lesson! Ah-err... if I may Hagrid? I realize I'm overstepping my bounds a bit here."

Hagrid gestured broadly, telling Sirius to have at it.

"Lovely! Ok! Your first lesson: respect."

Sirius held is pointer finger upward in a curt motion, slowly approaching the unicorns.

"Respect is a very important aspect in care of magical creatures. Y'see, unicorns can be quite docile, but show them no respect-"

Sirius made a sudden jolt forward, sticking his thumbs in his ears and waving his hands, tongue waggling in jest. The larger of the two unicorns bowed its head, horn pointed at Sirius, pawing the ground in preparation.

"-and they become dangerous. And trust me, that horn is nothing you want to mess with. Although mine is more impressive if you catch my meaning." Sirius leaned into a group of Ravenclaws this time and winked again, making Remus bury his face in his hands.

The unicorns started forward, a sound erupting from its throat that sounded like a clear warning.

"...show them respect," Sirius began again, bowing low as if greeting a hippogriff, "and they'll pay it back."

Slowly but steadily Sirius stepped forward, gently raising a hand and placing it on the beast's muzzle. When it relaxed he stood upright, stroking its nose as the tension left the gathering of students.

"Respect," Sirius explained, "is the basis not only for interacting with magical creatures, but with each other as witches and wizards. When respect is found in abundance, powerful bonds can be formed. When absent-"

He reached a hand under his shirt, feeling his brand from azkaban, looking out to a part of the castle that had not yet been restored from the battle.

"-when absent, the results can be catastrophic."

Sirius reached his hand out to the Hufflepuff girl he had teased earlier, smiling encouragingly. She rose from the group tentatively, taking Sirius's hand. Slowly, he guided her over to the unicorn and replaced the hand he still had on its nose with the girl's.

The group broke out in applause, causing Sirius to jump slightly and turn a deep shade of red. He quickly recovered, however, taking a deep, dramatic bow and ducking away, allowing Hagrid to finish the lesson.

Sirius waited until all the students were out of earshot to approach Lupin and Hagrid.

"Well...how did I do? Honestly."

Lupin beamed.

"Brilliant. Bloody freaking brilliant. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Sirius Black you actually have a knack for teaching!"

Sirius grinned his doggy grin and thanked Hagrid for his own vote of confidence before heading back up to the castle with Remus.

"I have to say, you keep this up and maybe you can drop the "assistant" by the end of the term. Although you may want to consider keeping the flirting down to a minimum- no need to start any drama."

"What? And waste these good looks? I think not!"

The two of them laughed, arms tossed around each others shoulders while discussing the disturbing thought of Sirius Black behaving like a proper adult. As they neared the castle they came upon a rather stern looking Headmistress McGonagal.

"Ah shit, think I've lost my job already?" Sirius muttered under his breath.

"Can't be. But if you have, that's a record to be proud of, Padfoot. Fastest firing in Hogwarts History."

The animagus snorted as they finally met with the Headmistress.

"Professor Lupin. A moment please?"

Lupin frowned, but nodded. He quickly said his goodbyes to Sirius, following the marauder's path up to the castle with his eyes, wishing he were headed the same way.

"Minerva? How can I help you?"

Her stern expression turned into a worried frown.

"There's...a matter I was hoping you could help me with."

She produced a letter stamped with the Hogwarts seal from underneath her cloak.

"I was hoping you would do me the favor of delivering this letter."

"A letter?" Remus replied, frowning himself now. "Isn't that a job better suited for an owl?"

"Ordinarily, I would agree, but it seems none of my letters have made it to their destination. That, or they're being ignored. If you could deliver it, i'd be satisfied to let this matter go, but until then..."

Lupin accepted the letter, turning it over to read the address: a small wizarding community not far from diagon alley.

"If you'd leave now, it would be appreciated. You're more than welcome to apparate from Hogsmede."

Lupin nodded, assuring McGonagal to return with news quickly. His stomach churned the whole way to Hogsmede, wondering what made the contents of the letter so urgent, but knowing better than to question the Headmistress. Once he was ready and in position he took a deep breath, apparating away with a slight ' _pop_ '.

xXxXx

When Remus reappeared he found himself in front of a small, poorly looking townhouse. The wrought iron arch outside of the apartment was covered thickly in what appeared to be a black ivy, and small, purple flowers. The sidewalk path up to the door was warped and crumbling, causing Remus to have to step very carefully onto the stoop, knocking nervously on the grey wooden door.

" _Who comes calling_?"

The voice came in a whisper, feminine although Remus couldn't be sure. Definitely magically produced, he figured it to be a sort of 'doorman's charm', an old magical practice long abandoned once house elves became the norm.

"I...err. Professor Remus Lupin, here on official business for the Headmistress of-"

The door creaked open before he could finish the sentence. He poked his head in, seeing that no one had opened the door, but rather that the door had opened itself. He stepped in slowly, taking in the small, dimly lit foyer. There wasn't much in the way of furniture, instead a single round pillow sat in the middle of the living room, an old cup of tea and an abandoned book beside it. Just inside the door was a small table, on it, a dish containing the keys of the owner, and a framed photo.

Remus picked up the frame and upon seeing the picture held within, nearly dropped it. His stomach churned, threatening to vomit as he stared at the image:

A child. Human, Remus thought, but barely so. The baby was tiny, deep blue-grey skin clashing with the pink onesie that classified the creature as a girl. Her hands, arms, and fingers were warped and bent at odd angles, eyes a disturbing shade of greyish black, and brow furrowed in pain. Worst of all was the mouth, if you could call it that: it was less of a mouth and more of a gaping maw with the appearance that her face had been wrenched open, the gap forking, extending all the way up to her nostrils in what had to be one of the worst cases of cleft palate Remus had ever seen.

"Ghastly, isn't she?"

Remus nearly dropped the photo, looking up to see a small dark haired witch with equally dark eyes.

"Years of dark magic and incest will do that to a person."

"Wait...I know you..."

She smiled the same quiet smile he had witnessed her bare at the Off By Lyric concert.

"Professor Remus Lupin. It's good to see you again, too."

She took the picture from his hands taking a moment to look at it herself before returning it to the table.

"I'm sorry, did you mention incest? Is...is she...did she?"

"Did she make it?" She finshed, looking back up at him. "Barely, yes. She was abandoned at first, left in Muggles care. They did their best to fix her up but that kind of damage is hard to repair. Once they got her to the wizarding world they did a much better job healing her body. Some scars though," she reached up and touched a hand to the little scar on her lip, "well some scars never quite heal do they?"

Remus frowned deeply, a hand reaching subconsciously up to his own cursed scars. He wondered at the witch for a moment- though she was tall, there was something about her that read as extremely delicate. This was punctuated by the mezzo-soprano tone she spoke in, her 's'es dragging out a bit too long, not like that of a lisp, but more of a strange whisper. Remus wondered if the circumstances of her birth caused these traits.

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. I've been through a lot. So have you. You learn to live through it. But that's not why you're here is it? You mentioned official business?"

"Oh!"

Remus pulled the letter from under his cloak.

"Headmistress Minerva McGonagal sent me with this. Said you'd been dodging her letters."

The woman frowned.

"I haven't received any letters from Hogwarts. Well, nothing from the Headmistress anyway. Seems I've only been getting half my mail lately."

She took the letter opened it, eyes scanning feverishly over the page, the little smile Remus was growing to find endearing reappearing on her face.

"Hmm... would you mind taking my answer to Minerva? I figure it best since owl service has been shoddy as of late..."

"I'd be happy to."

She gestured for Remus to follow her as she entered her kitchen, pulling out a long, blood red feather quill and penning a response. As she wrote, Remus took in the room. All her cooking wear was cast iron, pristine as if they'd never been used. The cabinets were stocked with finery, a small wine cooler even sat, fully stocked, on the counter. Beside it, Remus noticed, was another open letter sporting handwriting that undoubtedly belonged to Sirius. He tried his best to make out a bit of the letter, but could only manage the sign off at the end.

' _Emphatically yours,_

 _Howl_ '

Remus raised a brow at this, making a mental note to ask Sirius about it later. The sound of pen and parchment being tucked away into a drawer caught his attention.

"There you are," the witch said, handing Remus a new letter. "I think the Headmistress will find my answer quite satisfactory. Now, please forgive me, but I have a great many things to take care of and you'll likely need to be back at the school, yes?"

"Hmm? Oh yes, duty calls I suppose."

She walked him back to the door, thanking him for coming and delivering the message. Remus had already taken a few steps out of the door when he realized something.

"Wait a moment, I didn't catch a name!"

She simply smiled from the doorway.

"Tell Sirius and Tonks I said hello."

And with that the door swung closed again, leaving Remus with more questions than he had answers.

xXxXx

The next few days passed and brought with them more classes for Sirius and the first classes for Remus. The latter lamented at not yet having any of their kids in his classes yet, having been sent a note from Harry explaining that the Ministry had called on them for yet another questioning. Though he was worried, he kept himself busy aiding Luna, Neville, and Ginny, trying to hide his amusement at the first two's burgeoning romance.

Tonks was adjusting to her position quickly, already deciding that she preferred posts in the castle. She was surprised, however, to find that students regularly approached her, thanking her for being there. She wondered, at first, if the professors had said something to encourage the students to be so gracious, but it was with a heavy heart that she realized it was mostly muggleborn students coming up to her. Though the war had passed, they were still afraid for their safety. She vowed to each to do what she could to protect them.

Sirius had fallen into assisting Hagrid as if he was breathing air. Though his flourish and vivacity was a bit more than the position really called for, it helped to keep him from feeling like the stuffy, responsible adult he didn't want to be. He was particularly good at changing tactics based in who he was teaching: for the Ravenclaw students he was sure to learn plenty of fun facts and prepare questions for the eager learners to answer. For the Gryffindors, he encouraged more hands on participation, allowing the daring group to step up and show their stuff. For the Slytherins he asked fewer, harder questions, but gave a respectable amount of house points to those who answered, being sure to say the name of the student and tell the others of the snake house that they were one to watch for. This appealed to the pride found amongst the Slytherins quite nicely. And finally there was Hufflepuff. He never cared much for the 'Puffs in school, but Tonks had shown him the error of his ways. He hardly had to do anything for them except be himself. The more he made the guys laugh and the girls giggle, the more they took to their lessons, the more they answered his questions- easy or difficult- the more they wanted their names recognized, and the more they wanted to participate. Hagrid watched with a prideful eye as Sirius handled teaching with such ease, even promising to let the animagus take over a class or two in the coming weeks.

When the air outside grew cold and classes adjourned for the day, each of them fell into the sleepy habit of dragging themselves back to the dormitories and ridding themsleves of the things they'd brought to their posts. That particular night, the two professors ran into a plainly dressed Tonks- or at least as plainly dressed as she could be, given her punk aesthetic.

"'M'off tonight," she slurred through a yawn, stretching her arms above her head. "Thought maybe you could fill me in on your first week?"

She said it to both of them but very pointedly wound her arms around Remus's waist.

"'Dora, please, the students..."

Two third year Ravenclaws had already seen them and started giggling, whispering to each other.

"Oh alright then. But maybe we should all head for butterbeers after dinner, yeah? Guards quarters are in Hogsmede anyway."

"Hogsmede? Why so far from the castle?" Remus asked, turning the corridor to the great hall's main entrance. Ordinarily he and Sirius would go through the back, teachers entrance, but with Tonks with them they decided to escort her to Hufflepuff's table.

"There's always at least 12 of us on the grounds, and believe me, the Ministry sent some good guys. Besides, and don't tell anyone I told you this, but theres a very small opening now where you can apparate onto castle grounds."

"Really? Any idea where that spot might-"

" _Bloody fucking hell_!"

Sirius has stopped dead in his tracks at the door into the great hall. They had come in quite late, all of the professors seated already and only a few students straggling behind. Sitting two seats over from Minerva was the dark haired witch, legs crossed politely, surveying the students. When her eyes met the elder trio, she smiled shyly, giving them a tiny wave.

"We'll catch up to you later, 'Dora," Remus said quickly, already jogging to catch up to Sirius who was rushing the table.

"What on Merlin's earth are you doing here?!" Sirius whispered once he'd taken his seat beside her. She didn't have time to answer, however, before McGonagal clinked her fork on the side of her glass.

"Your attention please? From now on, Slytherin house will no longer have to report to me with any concerns. Professor Flitwick will also be retiring his role as stand-in Potions master. I would like to introduce to you your new Slytherin Head of House and Potions mistress-"

The dark haired witch stood, giving a polite curtsy and smiling her shy smile at the students.

"-Professor Noctua Gaunt."


	3. The Baleful, Time Honored House of Gaunt

**A/N: Just a quick warning there is mention of incest and dark themes in this chapter, but nothing worse than the last. I'm also bending the timeline just a bit here to suit the story. Song mentioned is Biffy Clyro's "Re-arrange". Also, a quick thank you to Seena T for catching that mistake last chapter. Glad you're enjoying the story thus far! Your feedback keeps me motivated.**

Immediately the hall was buzzing with rumors: A Gaunt- a wizarding family long thought to be dead- was teaching at Hogwarts. Lupin was furious. He could see Tonks's equally enraged eyes glaring from the Hufflepuff table. Harry had also gone pallid, staring the woman down as if she was a troll. Sirius, however hadn't noticed any of this, and was instead chatting excitedly away with her as if she was any ordinary witch or wizard.

"Why didn't you tell me, Nox?!"

"I didn't know!"

"But you told me you applied!"

"I didn't think I would actually get it, Howl! I didn't even know I was offered until Remus brought me the letter!"

"Remus came to your house? He didn't say anything! Moony you been holdin' out?"

Remus said nothing. Instead he kept his eyes forward, lips pursed together in an angry line. The relative of Voldemort himself was sitting just beside them, and Sirius didn't seem bothered at all. Even worse, he knew all of this weeks before and didn't say a word.

Dinner passed agonizingly slowly, and it wasn't until the hall was clear that both Tonks and Lupin turned on the Gaunt woman and Sirius. Tonks wasted no time drawing her wand.

"As an Auror for the Ministry of Magic, you need to answer every question I have for you or be prepared to turn yourself over to the Ministry."

"Bloody hell Nymphadora! She's-"

"She's a Gaunt, Sirius, are you joking?! The very fact that she exists is a threat to the wizarding world, let alone Hogwarts! How are you not seeing this?"

Sirius had made a move to protest, but was stopped by a pale hand on his chest.

"It's alright, Sirius, they have a right to be concerned," Noctua breathed, looking oddly calm for a woman with an Auror's wand inches from her face. "I'll answer anything you'd like me to. But a tale like this one is better told over drinks. Indulge me in moving this conversation to Hog's Head?"

Tonks didn't move her wand, eyes lowering, staring the woman down as if to say no funny business would be allowed. She gave a stiff nod and jerked her head back, motioning for the three others to walk ahead. They walked the long, winding path to Hogsmede, Tonks never removing her wand from the pale witch's back, glowering. Finally, they reached Hog's head, Sirius ordering each of them a firewhiskey. Noctua took a long, thoughtful sip, staring into the amber liquid as if it held the answer to some ancient question.

"Alright you've had your drink. Now explain."

"Tonks-"

"Howl it's ok. I'm happy to explain."

Noctua picked up the napkin that her whiskey had been sitting on and unfolded it, procuring a colored piece of chalk from her bag.

"Tell me," she said, smoothing the napkin, "how much do you know of the Gaunt line?"

"Only what they have in the records. That, and what Harry has told us."

"Then allow me to fill in the gaps."

Noctua drew a small 'x' at the top of the napkin.

"We'll begin at the most relevant piece of the Gaunt family tree, with the grandfather of Lord Voldemort, Marvolo."

She wrote his name above the x, dropping a bracketed line below it and connecting two more xs.

"I'm sure I don't have to tell you about the original prowess of the Gaunt family- ties to the Peverells and more notably Salazar Slytherin himself. They were one of the most feared and respected of the thirty-some sacred pureblood families."

"30? There are only 28 recognized pureblood wizarding families."

Noctua shook her head at Tonks.

"That's true now, but not at the time. The Gaunts, not yet eradicated, made 29. Henry Potter had yet to take his stand in favor of Muggles to the Ministry, making the Potters 30. The Weasleys, even with their burgeoning curiosity for Mugglekind hadn't yet been disgraced, making them 31. There were a few others, as well, long lost to historical record.

"Now the Gaunts?", Noctua continued, "Marvolo had spent through their wealth and was reduced to living in a shack with his son and daughter, Merope and Morfin. In his delusions of grandeur, the man had gone mad. It wasn't enough for him to be pureblood, no, Marvolo wanted something more. To him, to be a Gaunt was to be a god amongst men- speakers of parseltongue and partitioners of dark magic. No, he wanted the Gaunt family to be _solely_ Gaunts."

Tonks felt her stomach churn at the thought. Noctua caught the look on her face.

"You understand the rather grim implication," Noctua uttered, grimacing. "It's long been known that Merope Gaunt lost nearly all of her magical abilities due to the trauma she faced in her own household, but no one knew how deeply the trauma went. Marvolo dreamed of his son and daughter creating an army of new Gaunts, enough to continuously intermarry and produce a long line of 'truly' pure Gaunts."

Noctua connected Marvolo's name to two more, Merope and Morfin, writing the names above the two xs she'd already drawn.

"Marvolo forced his children together, and Morfin, cruel as he was, agreed all too eagerly with his father's philosophy. Merope's body, however, would not hold any child her brother tried to bare her. In all his madness, Marvolo believed that perhaps his son just wasn't a strong enough bull to produce with his sister, so he tried himself to have a child with his own daughter. Again, no child would keep, and he abandoned the idea altogether, opting instead to keep the now magic-barren Merope as a sort of slave."

Remus felt his blood run cold. He'd heard and seen a great many terrible things during the wars, but this was a new terror entirely.

"You know, of course, what eventually became of Merope, but there are gaps in the record for Morfin. There are reasons for this."

Noctua extended a line beside Morfin's name, drawing another x.

"Morfin never forgot his father's philosophy and vowed to create his pure Gaunt bloodline. Fortunately for him, there were other pureblood witches who recognized the power that could be gained by recreating the Gaunt line. One witch, in particular, who was interested in producing a child with prodigious dark powers."

Above the new x, Noctua wrote the name 'V. Rosier'.

"Vinda Rosier?" Remus balked, eyebrows raising, "She was a prominent Grindelwald follower, was she not?"

"One of his most devoted," Noctua returned, nodding. "She was ready to begin building a nest of new Gaunts, but she got wound up in Gellert's regime before she could do so. Nevertheless she had enough time to give Morfin what he needed before he died and she left."

Another two lines were drawn from Morfin and Vinda, this time no names were written, but instead two question marks.

"Vinda gave him twins. One boy and one girl. They weren't given names, at least that I know of. They didn't need names. They were cattle to the Gaunt family. Gaunt was the only name that mattered. The importance of maintaining the untainted bloodline was everything . As such-"

Noctua dropped another line between the two unnamed children, producing another entry with no name.

"They had one child together. Warped. Wrong. Foul. Broken. There were whispers that there where two others-"

Another line was drawn on either side of the twins, one additional line each dropped between them.

"-there was a belief that each of the twins had children separate of each other, each born of pureblood unions. It was thought that the female twin had a seperate baby before having the child born of incest, as she died not long after birthing that child. The male twin is said to have had his second child after, before disappearing altogether. No one knows who the possible other parents were or if the other children even really exist. But the child the twins had together? It...she..."

She said nothing. Instead she raised a hand to bitterly fill in the last of the twisted family tree.

Noctua Gaunt.

"They didn't even give me a name," she whispered, face hidden behind her long hair. "I chose a name on my own years later. No, to them I didn't need one- they didn't think I was going to make it. My mother died. My father left. Didn't even have the decency to give me to magical caretakers. Tossed my mangled body in a muggle orphanage and let their doctors try to put me back together like a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces. I was young when I was taken away- found by dark witches and wizards who knew of the power I likely possessed. I don't even know how they found me. All I know is that my handlers...the things they did to me...the things they made me do..."

Noctua shrank away, hands wrenching at the napkin-made-family-tree, tearing it apart as she tried to self-soothe.

"Nox."

Sirius took her hands in his, kissing the back of one.

"Its okay. You don't have to say. You've said enough."

Tonks and Remus had both gone pallid. They'd been so accusatory, so rude. Here it was the woman had likely known horrors worse than the ones they'd faced themselves.

"I want what you have," Noctua whispered. "Even now the Black family is repairing itself. Wrongs are being righted. You and Tonks are representative of where the family line is going. As bizarre as it sounds, I want that too. I want the name 'Gaunt' to not be associated with the dark arts and the most vile acts imaginable. I want redemption."

"And you have it," Sirius reassured, kissing the back of her hand again and reaching underneath her sheath of raven hair to wipe away her tears.

"If...if I could ask something rather nosy," Tonks began quietly, "you and I seem to be of similar age, and yet I don't remember ever seeing you at Hogwarts."

Noctua shook her head, face still hidden as she kept her head down, staring fiercely into her lap.

"I only ever went to Hogwarts for one year, and only half a term at that. My...handlers... decided that Hogwarts wasn't doing enough to harness my potential. When I left for the winter holidays they didn't allow me to return. I attended Durmstrang for the rest of my magical education."

"That's a shame," Tonks whispered, "I'm sorry I didn't get to know you back then. You'd have likely made a wonderful Gryffindor."

Noctua finally looked up, a sad smile came onto her face.

"The hat thought so too, it even suggested Ravenclaw, but in the end I begged to be placed in Slytherin. Part of me knew that my handlers would take poorly to any other placement since my being related to Salazar Slytherin was of the utmost importance. Part of me also hoped that maybe I'd feel closer to who I was. Or perhaps, who I was supposed to be. Still, it's an honor to be one of the few ever hatstalls in history."

Sirius brushed Noctua's hair away from her face, rubbing her back gently as Remus ordered another round of drinks.

"I have to apologize for how we reacted before."

"Don't," Noctua bit out, reaching for Remus's hand and giving it a squeeze. "I understand your apprehension. I just hope now that maybe you have a better understanding for who I am."

Remus gave her a firm nod. Every time he blinked, he could see the image of the grey, mangled baby behind his lids. He couldn't believe how agressive he'd been.

"Another question, if I might," Remus said quietly, waiting for Noctua to nod before asking. "How did you and Sirius meet? And how long have you known each other? I can't help but notice the use of pet names."

Noctua smiled, placing a dainty, thin hand on Sirius's cheek.

"Not long before that concert, actually. Maybe five or six days before? I was in Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes of all places. I saw-" her face turned red, looking at Sirius for encouragement to continue. "I saw an advertisement for pygmy puffs and well...they're quite adorable, aren't they? So I went in and had a poke around and before long I noticed this massive man in riding gear following me around the store. When I finally confronted him I realized he'd bought me the pygmy puff I was looking at."

"You must have found it charming, then?" Lupin mused, smirking at a very embarrassed Sirius.

"Well, no... to put it plainly I honestly thought it was fucking creepy. I stormed out on him. But later on I was on a walk and noticed this stray black dog... It lumbered up to me, whining. It wouldn't leave til I pet him. I told him I knew it was him in animagus form and that he may as well just speak to me as a human."

"How did you know Sirius was an animagus?" Tonks asked.

"It's the eyes. No matter how good an animagus is, the eyes are always wrong. Something about them is always still a bit human."

"Well Padfoot, what did you say to win her over?"

"Oh...you know...I just-"

"He blubbered on about how beautiful I was and somewhere in the midst of him tripping over his own tongue, he asked if I wanted to go on a ride on his bike with him. I said yes."

Sirius turned a deep shade of purple red, trying desperately to avoid eye contact with Lupin, who looked about ready to burst. He knew his reputation as a silver tongued bastard was ruined.

"The ride was lovely, he was a perfect gentleman the whole time. He vowed to keep in contact with me, but ended up just sitting outside my door each night and howling to catch my attention. Hence his nickname."

"And 'Nox'? As in like... Lumos, Nox?" Tonks asked.

"Well I wasn't gonna call her 'Noctua', was I? What is that even?"

"The name _I_ chose for myself after I escaped my captors," Noctua said, rolling her eyes.

"It's a very old, no longer recognized constellation," Remus piped up, "an owl, if I'm not mistaken?"

Noctua smiled her signature smile.

"There was an owl, flying beside me when I fled my handlers. It scared me at first, but then I felt like it was there to protect me. I remembered reading that an old, Pureblood wizarding family made a habit of naming their children after the stars, so I picked 'Noctua'. It seemed appropriate."

"Thats the Black family you're talking about," Tonks said, frowning. "That tradition is how I got saddled with Nymphadora."

"I think it's a beautiful name, you've made it mean something wonderful."

Tonks said nothing, opting instead to hide her shy expression behind her whiskey glass.

"It's getting awfully late," Remus sighed. "We should probably head back to the castle. You have your first class tomorrow and I have to sort out finding a new quidditch captain for Gryffindor."

"You all go," Noctua replied, "I'm...I'm going to stay here for a moment. I need to clear my head."

The elder trio bid the Gaunt goodnight, Tonks saying goodnight to the boys herself before they left Hogsmede. Remus and Sirius began their walk back to the castle in silence before the werewolf had to ask:

"Why didn't you tell us, Sirius? This all could have been avoided-"

"It wasn't my place to tell. Wasn't my story. I wanted her to have the chance to share it if she was able."

"How much more do you know?"

"Nothing, honestly. Only what she told you and Tonks just now. She freezes up if you ask about her handlers or her years at Durmstrang, like the memory is too painful to bare."

"Sounds familiar," Remus muttered under his breath. He wasn't quiet enough, however, as Sirius caught it.

"One day I'll tell you about the veil. I promise. But not until I'm ready."

Remus nodded, beginning the climb up to the old teacher's tower. He was grateful to share the old dorms with just Sirius, most professors opting to keep rooms near or adjoint to their offices and classrooms. He wondered if, on wolfsbane, there would be enough space to turn into the wolf right there in the common room.

"You know what the sad part is," Sirius piped up, breaking Remus out of his reverie. "She told me she loved meeting you guys. That it was nice to feel like she had friends, if only for one night."

" _Damn it_ , Sirius! I wish you'd told us. I know you had reasons not to but...well we'll do what we can to repair our relationship with her."

"I think you already have. She's so used to people treating her poorly, you two even giving her the chance to explain likely meant the world to her."

"I hope so."

Remus climbed up to his room, face crashing into the pillow once again, the image of the broken, grey child never leaving him.

xXxXx

Noctua paced back and forth behind her front desk as the 7th year Gryffindors and Slytherins piled into the hazy dungeon classroom. She'd gone over her first lesson again and again in her head, convincing herself that she could do this. She just needed to believe. When they reached the hour she cast a desperate glance at Sirius, who had taken a seat in the back of the class. He gave her an encouraging smile and she began.

"Welcome students," she lilted, taking in the curious faces of the soon-to-be graduates. "To your first potions lesson of the year. Well... first lesson with me anyway. Professor Flitwick has done an excellent job preparing you for your lessons this year, but you'll forgive me if, today, I deviate a bit from the curriculum."

She paused for a moment, again taking in her class. They all seemed to be trying to feel her out, trying to see a glimpse of dark wizardry or ill will within her. She swallowed hard.

"Potions," she began again, "Is one of the oldest forms of magic we know. Long before wands and modern witchcraft, when there were still covens and practitioners of the old ways, we had potions. Now, we have many spells and hexes that can do the job of most simple concoctions, but I find they lack the virility of the liquid magic. Take for instance today's lesson. Tell me, is there anyone here familiar with Mirthwater?"

A hand shot up from the back of the room.

"Yes! Thank you Miss...?"

"Granger, Professor."

Indeed the hand had come from the bushy haired Gryffindor, seated, as always, between a very annoyed looking Ron Weasley, and a grim looking Harry Potter. Though the two had only returned for Charms and Defense, Hermione had convinced them that potions would be a useful undertaking for their auror profession.

"Thank you, Miss Granger. Now, what can you tell me about Mirthwater?"

"Mirthwater," Hermione recited, "is a potion used to render the taker more lighthearted and agreeable. It was once used to treat the affliction formerly known to the wizarding world as 'the unyielding cloud', which we now know to be simple depression."

"Excellent, Miss Granger! 5 points to Gryffindor!"

"Mirthwater," The professor continued, "is an excellent allegory to magic itself. Used properly, and it can be quite effective. Used improperly, it can be disastrous. Consider, again, the definition Miss Granger just offered us. 'A potion used to make the taker more lighthearted and agreeable'. 'Agreeable'. Can anyone think of a curse used for a similar purpose? Something a bit more sinister?"

A hand near the front of the class went up.

"Yes! You sir! Mr...?"

"Longbottom, ma'am," Neville answered, "The Imperius Curse?"

"Yes, wonderful! Another 5 points to Gryffindor. Keep up, Slytherins, you're making me worried! Its my house, after all! But yes, Mirthwater, in the hands of a wizard with ill intent could be used to produce an effect similar to that of the Imperius Curse. It is up to each of us to choose to use our magical abilities for the right reasons. Today, that reason is simply to get high marks for today's lesson. You'll find the recipe on page 106 in your books. Only 6 ingredients, off you go!"

Noctua made rounds, checking in on each student, helping a Slytherin here and a Gryffindor there. Slowly but surely she made it to the back of the room, passing a smile to Sirius before checking in on the group she'd heard Sirius and Remus call 'their kids'.

"Let's see now... excellent, Miss Granger, this is an exemplary Mirthwater potion! I'd expect nothing less, of course. Your reputation of academic prowess preceeds you."

"Th...thank you professor."

Noctua moved down the line to Ron, whose ears had gone red. Where Hermione's potion had been a milky yellow color, Ron's was a deep honey tone. Without hesitation, Noctua dropped a finger into the mix, popping it into her mouth and suddenly laughing madly, which only made Ron even more red.

"Excellent Mr. Weasley! You've added extra citrine powder!" She gasped in between giggles, "a daring move, but highly effective! It seems the extra powder causes laughing fits! You should pass this recipe along to your brothers! They may be able to use it in their confections!"

"Oh...uh... yeah," Ron said, perking up a little.

"Now lets see. Mr. Potter yours is...um...oh."

Harry sat with his hands clenched in his lap, staring at the table. In front of him his cauldron was empty, book still in his bag, ingredients entirely untouched.

"Is...is there something wrong Harry?"

"There's nothing wrong, _Professor_." Harry spat, fists clenching tighter.

"Oh...if you don't feel like making the potion now, its okay. You can set up an appointment with me to make up the assignment lat-"

Harry pushed up from the desk and stormed out, leaving Ron and Hermione to stare after him.

"I'll check on him," Sirius said, quickly getting up to follow.

Harry was already halfway down the hallway when Sirius caught up with him.

"Harry wait! C'mon mate, what's up with you?"

"What's up with me? What's _up_ with me is that after everything that's just happened, after everything we've lost, Voldemort's relative just pops up at Hogwarts and everyone is acting like it's normal!"

"Harry please. I know her. It's not what you think-"

"How could you be so sure", Harry said darkly, glaring at his Godfather. "He was charming, too, you know. Riddle. Had everyone at the school wrapped around his finger and look what happened. "

Sirius sighed.

"Believe me Harry, I know. It's... I was weary at first, too. So were Tonks and Remus. But she isn't anything like him. Nowhere close. Do you honestly believe Minerva would let her teach here if she posed a threat?"

Harry's hands started to unclench, narrowed brow raising. His Godfather had been a fool in matters before, but never where it came to protecting his friends. He'd been airing on the side of believing Sirius when Noctua walked out, causing him to tense up again.

"Harry," she said softly, "would you speak to me in my office please, alone?"

Harry looked between his Godfather and the woman before nodding, following her back through the swell of students exiting the Potions dungeon.

Sirius sat outside of the door, waiting, springing to his feet when, again his Godson rushed out of the room and down the corridor.

"Harry!"

"It's alright. Let him go."

Noctua watched, sadly, as Harry rushed away.

"What did you tell him? What did he say?"

"The same thing I told the three of you. He didn't say much of anything, he just asked if I spoke parseltongue."

"What did you say?" Sirius asked, not knowing if Noctua had the gift. She went pale at this.

"I...told him the truth. I do. But that I have absolutely no intention of reopening the Chamber of Secrets, if that's what he's wondering. I don't even know where it is. My handlers wanted me to find it the year I went here. Never did."

"What did he say to that?"

"Nothing. He just left."

Sirius sighed watching students walk through the hall Harry had just left from.

"He'll come around, Nox. Don't worry."

She just shrugged.

"Maybe... I hope so."

xXxXx

The Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom was buzzing with 40 some odd Gryffindors, all quidditch teams hopefuls. Remus had called together a meeting for anyone hoping to try out that year to settle the matter of picking a team captain. The roar in the room died down when he stood, clearing his throat to catch the students' attention.

"Now, as you all well know," he began, "quidditch was...disrupted by the rather unfortunate events of the last year. As such, the natural succession of quidditch team captain for Gryffindor has been interrupted. I called together this meeting to allow you, as housemates, to choose your new captain for the year."

"Is this even a question?" A fifth year piped up, "we want Harry of course!"

The students broke out in yet another roar of agreement, all settling on Harry as their captain. Harry, who was seated at the front, stood and faced the crowd.

"I'm flattered, I really am," he replied, "but no. You'll forgive me but...I'm really not looking for any extra responsibility this year. I just want to play. I think Ginny would make a much better captain than me."

"Her?" Another student snorted, "she gets in one lucky game as seeker and what, we're supposed to just fall in line?"

"Meet me at the quidditch pitch with your wand and I'll show you _lucky_ ," Ginny returned, eyes wild as she stared the boy down. He slumped down in his seat, looking thoroughly chastised. Harry smirked.

"Well then," Remus interjected. "Are there any other objections to Ginny being our captain, or shall we let her stand on her abilities and lead our team to victory?"

"Let's go Ginny!" A female student shouted, "The cup is ours!"

The crowd yelled out a loud 'here-here!' and laughed at Ginny's dramatic acceptance bow.

"Excellent. I'll let you decide on a day for try-outs. Harry, a word?"

Remus and Harry retreated into his office as the excited gathering chattered away about the prospects of winning the cup.

"I understand you had a run in this morning with Professor Gaunt," Remus began, slumping into his desk chair and gesturing for Harry to sit. "What happened?"

"I...I don't know. She's a Gaunt, Professor Lupin, but... But Sirius seems to trust her. Even Hermione said to give her a chance. I don't understand..."

"Miss Gaunt has been through a great deal, Harry. I understand why you feel the way you feel, and it's not to say we aren't keeping an eye on her, but I honestly believe she's not here to harm anyone. She's...she..."

Suddenly Lupin came upon what he needed to say.

"She's more Merope than Marvolo or Morfin, or even Voldemort. Anything she may have done in the past...I don't believe she's done it of her own volition."

Understanding seemed to dawn on Harry. Remus watched him relax.

"I know it's a lot to ask, Harry, but she means a lot to your Godfather. Try and give her a chance?"

Harry nodded, standing and thanking Lupin, giving him a quick hug before joining his fellow Gryffindors. Remus looked down at all of them, feeling his heart swell at the idea that they were his students. His house. He quietly thanked Minerva in his head for giving him a second chance at teaching before heading back into his office.

xXxXx

Tonks laid out on the grass just beside the sandy shore of the lake. Her eyes were closed, arms behind her head, fingers tangled in her mane of curly brown hair. It wasn't often that she allowed her hair to revert to its original state, but whenever she really, truly wanted to relax, she didn't bother with the magic it took to change her appearance, even if it was so commonplace that it took minimal effort for her. She'd been half an hour into her nap when she heard a pair of boots walk right up to the side of her head. When she opened her eyes she was met with the curious stare of a mousy Hufflepuff boy. He was likely in his third year considering his size, and he looked rather nervous to be noticed.

"Wotcher."

Tonks sat up, smiling warmly at the boy. Though she was off duty, she made a point to fall into her role of Ministry official whenever she was greeted by a student.

"What can I do for you?"

The boy stared out into the lake. He took a deep breath and turned back to Tonks, puffing out his chest, looking determined.

"I want you to teach me how to duel."

Tonks burst out laughing at the boy, the prospect of facing off against such an unworthy opponent causing her to lose all semblance of professionalism.

"Fine! Nevermind!"

The boy began to stomp away, looking very embarrassed before Tonks grabbed his arm.

"No, no! Wait! I'm sorry, I just wasn't expecting that! What's your name?"

He stopped, face hot, staring at his shoes.

"Declan McIver."

"Declan huh? Irish lad, then? Alright Declan, first lesson: never let your opponent get the jump on you! _Stupef_ -"

" _Protego!_ "

The kid was fast as lightning, a decently strong ward placed before Tonks's lazily cast spell (which she aimed to miss him) could even leave her wand.

"Wow, okay... well lesson number two then: keep moving!"

Tonks dropped to the ground, tucking and rolling before aiming another spell at the boy. He dodged it awkwardly, ducking this way and that as she sent a barrage of weak spells his way.

"Yes! Very good! But you can't keep this up for very long, so the next thing would be to-"

" _Expelliarmus!_ "

Tonks's wand went flying from her hand, landing a few yards into the lake. The boys mouth dropped, turning guiltily to Tonks whom had reached into the inside of her thigh.

"Don't get distracted!"

She out pulled a knife that was strapped to her inner thigh and rushed him, a wild grin on her face.

" _Expelliarmus!_ "

The knife flew away just as quickly, sinking into the depths of the lake.

"Mrs. Auror I'm so sorry-"

"No its okay! You were so good, I can't believe you can do those spells as well as you can! And your instincts are incredible! Where'd you learn how to duel so young?"

The boys face turned dark.

"Last year... my younger brother...I couldn't protect him..."

"Oh sweetheart... come here..."

Tonks hugged the boy, feeling him go limp in his arms. When she felt him racking with sobs she stroked his hair, murmuring soft 'its ok's and 'I'm so sorry's.

"Nothing can prepare someone for something like that. You can't blame yourself. But that's why we're here, we're gonna make sure you're okay."

He looked up into Tonks's face, eyes darting all over as if looking to see if he could find the truth in her eyes.

"I'm sure your brother's well proud of you, Declan. It'll be alright."

He wiped his runny nose on his robe sleeve and sniffed out a quiet "thank you".

"Of course! Tell you what, if you really want to train, come meet me here on Thursday nights, eh? Now uh... you wouldn't happen to know a summoning charm would you?"

" _Accio Tonks's wand!_ "

The wand flew from the lake, past Tonks and Declan and into the hands of Noctua Black.

"Hey Nox! Thanks!"

She smiled, handing Tonks the wand before turning to the boy.

"I saw you from the castle. You're an excellent duelist already. 30 points to Hufflepuff."

The boy beamed at this before leaving for the castle. Tonks had summoned her dagger from the lake, regretting it as the blade nearly stabbed her clear in the face from the sheer velocity at which it sped towards her.

"You were downright motherly just now, 'Mrs. Auror Lady'."

The two of them laughed, making their way back up to the castle together.

"Used to be a day I couldn't stand kids. Now I feel like I can't wait for a little one."

"Sounds like Moony needs to get on it then," Noctua returned, giving Tonks a cheeky wink.

"Sirius would lose it if he heard you say that. Oh bloody hell, speak of the devil."

A very serious looking Sirius walked up to the two women, taking a moment to kiss the Gaunt's hand before addressing his cousin.

"Are you on duty?"

"Not for another few hours, no. Why?"

"Mind helping me with something? It's important."

"Oh...yeah sure. I guess I'll see you 'round, Nox."

The Potions mistress nodded her goodbye before she left the two of them alone.

"C'mon," Sirius said, leading the way down the corridor, "we'll need to take the Floo Network for this."

xXxXx

The two Black relatives arrived at Diagon Alley in a blur of green fire, stepping out into the Leaky Cauldron and coughing from the soot they kicked up.

"Merlin's beard, Tom's usually better with the cleaning up," Sirius grumbled, dusting himself off roughly.

"Loads more people are coming to the Cauldron since the war, poor bloke probably can't keep up. Still, hiring a house-elf or two may be a decent idea."

The two strolled out into the street, passing buzzing boutiques and trying not to run into the other wizards and witches perusing the shops. Though it was annoying to fight their way through the marketplace, they found it comforting to see all the commerce. Diagon Alley had bounced back from Vodemort's regime better than most places.

Soon they arrived at their destination: "Marvelous Marvin's Morsels", a small grocery store that specialized in spirits, cheeses, and cured meats. Sirius strolled in confidently before almost immediately deflating at the racks and racks of wines, whiskeys, and gins, looking utterly lost.

"Okay," he began, "this is where I need you, dear cousin. Pick out something you'd like."

"You buying me a gift?"

"Just pick something!"

He was entirely flustered, beginning to look at the shelves himself, terms like 'beaujolais', 'tempranillo', and 'muscadet' making his head swim.

"Oh come on Sirius, you're a Black! You can't tell me your house wasn't stocked clear to the ceiling with wine back when you were a kid. You never learned about this stuff?"

Sirius snorted.

"If it wasn't beer or rum, it wasn't worth stealing to share with James. C'mon Tonks, I'm dying here. What would a girl want to drink?"

"I can't tell you that! It depends on the girl! Not all of us sip champagne with our pinkies out, you know? Some of us shoot whiskey, some of us like a nice port, it all depends."

"Well...well what do you think _she_ would like?!"

It came out as a shout. His face had gone red with both frustration and embarrassment, glowering at Tonks. Suddenly it clicked for her.

"You're trying to get something to impress Nox", she said softly, lowering her voice so as not to alert the shopkeep whom had been trying to listen in.

"Its just...well I've never really taken her on a proper date. Motorcycle rides and concerts hardly count. I just...I want to do something nice for her, you know? She's been through so much...someone has to show her how a lady should be treated...yeah?"

Tonks smiled at this.

"And here it is Sirius Black of all people is going to be the one to show her. What on earth is the world coming to."

Tonks started winding through the isles, eyes dancing across familiar names, searching for a specific section.

"She's rough around the edges, but probably would enjoy something sweet. Moscato or Riesling might be good... but I think...since she likes trash men..."

Sirius snorted at this.

"...she probably likes trash wine. Ah! Here it is!"

Tonks plucked a large bottle of Sangria off the shelf and handed it to Sirius.

"Sangria? Are you sure? Isn't this like, bottom shelf stuff?"

"It's not fussy or proper, if that's what you're asking. But it tastes good and it'll get you tipsy. Trust me, she'll like it."

"Well...okay. I'm trusting you on this, Tonks. Any idea what this pairs with?"

15 minutes later and the two were leaving the shop, arms full with the bottle of wine and several cheeses, crackers, and baguettes. Once they returned to Hogwarts, Sirius penned, in the neatest handwriting he could possibly muster, a 'request' for the 'Lady Gaunt' to join him for 'light refreshments and merriment'. Remus watched him write the letter from an armchair in the their shared common room, chuckling at his old friend's concentration and the little pink tongue that hung out of his mouth as he wrote. In all their days at Hogwarts he had never seen his friend so serious about a woman. Sure, Sirius made a big deal out of his conquests, going far outside the bounds of reason to bag a quick lay to brag about, but this was something else. There was something earnest and rather endearing about how hard the marauder was trying. When Sirius made a move to head to the owlery, Remus suggested that he be allowed to hand deliver to note, saying that it would be 'more personal' that way. Sirius reluctantly agreed handing over the wax sealed letter to the werewolf.

"Professor Lupin. How can I help you?"

Though the sun had hardly began it's descent, Noctua was already dressed for bed when Lupin arrived. For a moment he was worried for his friend that she might reject his advances for the evening, but after reading the note she broke out in a silly grin.

"Wait here a moment."

She disappeared behind the door before reappearing in a set of navy blue robes so lowcut Remus could see the top of her navel peeking out. Coupled with her long hair hair pulled up into a messy bun and now blood red lips, Remus felt his heart skip a beat. He'd heard rumors from some of the young students that the Potions mistress may have been a vampire, which he laughed off. But with the pale beauty before him, he started to think they held water.

"Sirius is going to lose it when he sees you."

"That's the idea", she replied with a wink.

Remus offered his arm which she took, hiding her face and less-than-decent top under a great black parasol while passing students. Finally, the pair reached the old abandoned teacher's dorms that the two mauraders called theirs, Remus knocking and announcing his arrival to Sirius.

"Did you do it? What'd she-"

Sirius couldn't finish the thought for his jaw hitting the floor at the sight of Noctua.

"She said 'yes'", Noctua purred, offering Sirius a hand, which he quickly took and kissed.

"Don't you have somewhere to be Remus?"

"What? This is my room as- nevermind. You two have fun."

Remus stalked away, headed towards the library while Sirius continued to look his lady friend over.

"I'm surprised at you Howl, you don't normally write like that," she giggled.

"For you? I could be the next Shakespeare."

Sirius kicked himself mentally as he said this, knowing it sounded ridiculous. He ducked away, hiding his embarrassment by grabbing the wicker basket of goods he'd tucked away in their room.

"I was hoping you might accompany me for an evening picnic by the lake?"

"Lead the way."

The two of them walked hand and hand through the castle, across the grounds. Noctua noticed a fair few female students looking rather put out by Sirius's display of affection, as well as a few male students gawking at her. Once they reached a secluded spot on the lake, far from prying eyes, Sirius conjured a blanket, setting out plates of the hors d'oeurves he and Tonks purchased. He winced as he brought out the two wine glasses, gauging Noctua's response to the bottle of wine itself.

"Sangria? I haven't had that in ages. How'd you know it was an old favorite of mine?"

Sirius let out the breath he didn't know he was holding, making a mental note to thank his cousin.

"Intuition, I suppose."

They sat together for a while, both sipping their drinks and chewing thoughtfully, talking awkwardly through a number of random subjects. Sirius kept reaching a hand up to stretch out the sweat-drenched collar of his top, which was buttoned all the way up for once, constantly asking Noctua what she thought of everything.

"Sirius..." she said finally, frowning at him. "This is nothing like you. None of this is anything like you. You seem so nervous, what's going on?"

What was left of Sirius's poker face shattered. He looked rather like a caught rat looking for an escape as he dove into the basket, pulling out a radio. He fumbled with it awkwardly, before it turned on, springing to his feet and reaching for Noctua's hand.

"Dance with me, would you?"

"Sirius Black, you are a strange one, I'll tell you that."

He took her hand and placed an arm around her waist, beginning to sway with her to the slow, dreamy tune that drifted up from the radio.

"This is that band we went to see, isn't it?"

"Mmhm," Sirius said stiffly, doing his best to focus on staying in rhythm with her.

"Sirius please, talk to me. What's going on?"

"I...I just...I don't know what I'm doing Nox. You scare me."

Noctua separated from him almost instantly, hurt flashing across her face.

"No no! Not like that! It's just..."

She allowed him to wrap his arm back around her waist and they continued slowly circling around each other.

"It's just that I've never done this before... Women...women have always come so easy to me. It was always a game before. But with you... I don't know... I...care about you. You're my friend..."

"Is that what we are?" Noctua muttered. "Just friends?"

"No...yes! I...I don't know? I don't want to ruin what we have but...well I've always wanted something more. I thought it was just...well just sex, but that's not it. I want you. I want to know everything about you. Not just the bad, the good too! I want to know everything behind that closed lip smile of yours, I want to know what your favorite dessert is and what makes you laugh and...I want to be with you..."

Noctua's face held no response for Sirius. She looked entirely confused.

"This...this is a lot. I've never had people that tolerated me before..."

"We don't just tolerate you! Tonks and Moony? They're my friends! And yours too. I know you've been alone before, but not anymore. We want you here, Gaunt blood be damned."

She considered this for a moment.

"And...and you really want to try this? With someone like me? Sirius, you could have anyone. I'm... broken. You deserve better."

Sirius said nothing, not sure how to respond to what, to him, sounded like a ridiculous statement. If anyone was broken it was him: old, haunted by his past, and dangerous. Instead the radio hit the chorus of the song that had been playing, seemingly answering her question:

" _I would never break your heart..._

 _I will only rearrange._

 _All the other working parts_

 _Will stay in place..._ "

"I can't fix you Nox, I wish I could. I can't even fix my damn self. But maybe you don't need fixing. Maybe you just need to see that people can care for you. You're deserving of love, Noctua, you really are. There was a time I thought I only deserved to be hated. To be feared. But coming back from Azkaban and seeing how easily Remus accepted me again...How Harry could love me... I realized what a fool I was being."

They were silent for another moment before Noctua finally spoke.

"I'm so scared Sirius."

"Me too."

"But I want this."

"So do I."

"Can we...can we take it slow?"

"Absolutely."

"...Sirius?"

"Hmm?"

"...kiss me."

Sirius was surprised by the request but obliged, closing the gap between the two of them and pressing his lips to hers. She was tense but slowly relaxed, moving her impossibly soft lips against his for a short moment before pulling away. Her face was a deep pink.

"Nox...was that..?"

"My first?...Yes."

A grin slowly began to grow on Sirius's face before he burst out laughing, falling on to the the ground, clutching his stomach.

"What's so funny?"

Sirius just continued to laugh, grabbing Noctua's hand and pulling her down onto him.

"Oh sweetheart, you're so innocent. What on earth are you doing with a mess like me?"

"I don't know," she said, beginning to laugh herself, "but you're my kind of mess"

Before she could protest, Sirius pulled her into another kiss, tangling his fingers in her hair. He grabbed her waist and rolled her over so he was on top of her, placing a barrage of wet kisses all over her face and neck.

"Ahahaha! Down doggie! Are you Sirius right now or Padfoot?!"

He pulled away, leaning over her, smile wide on his face. The sun began to set, casting his face into shadow, leaving only his wolfish grin visible.

Noctua went tense, the vision of Sirius and the lake sliding away, being replaced with the dark inside of a dank old shed. Everywhere there was exposed wood, the leaking ceiling dripping moldy water all around her. She could feel the wires of the sheetless, shabby old mattress biting the into the skin of her back. She felt herself sink lower into the bed as a man climbed over her, her tiny, pre-pubescent body crushed under his weight. He drew ragged, rank breaths, eyes wild, the bared fangs of his wolfish grin glinting in the light of the nearly-full moon that poured in from the broken window beside the bed. He leaned down into Noctua's neck, pressing rough, hairy lips against the girl's ear.

"I hate playing these little games, _cub_. One day you'll be mine. One little _nip_ ," he flicked his tongue over her ear, causing her to whimper and flinch, "and you'll be _mine_. My little moon goddess. But no no no, first _he_ gets to have his fun. But once his purpose for you is fulfilled..." He let out a bark of a laugh. " _Just you wait, cub..._ "

"NOX!"

Sirius had been shaking Noctua, who had gone completely glassy eyed and limp on him. When she snapped to she shoved him away, curling in on herself, tucking her face between her knees.

"Nox, what happened? C'mon you can talk to me..."

"Y...you sitting on top of me. I saw... it reminded me..."

She curled into herself tighter, rocking back and forth, trying to shake the memory.

"God damnit Nox," Sirius growled, anger building in his chest, "what the hell did those bastards do to you?"

"I...I can't do this. We can't do this."

She stood abruptly, shoving Sirius out of the way and racing back towards the castle, leaving him shouting after her.


	4. Wolf's Blood

**I've decided to change the title after all from its original, "A New Legacy". Quick heads up that there is some sexual content this chapter. Please enjoy!**

For the following two weeks after the picnic, Noctua couldn't be reached by anyone. She only appeared for her classes before locking up the dungeon room and not speaking to anyone apart from students. She never attended meals, and from the few glimpses Sirius caught when waiting for her outside her classroom, she wasn't eating at all. Sirius had given Harry several messages to pass along to the Potions mistress, none of which she responded to. He even sent her owls, but to no avail. Finally, one of his owls came back with a message.

 _'Please leave me alone.'_

"She'll come around, Padfoot," Remus soothed one night, the elder trio sipping butterbeers in a secluded part of the castle, keeping Tonks company on one of her shifts. "She has a lot to process. She just needs some time."

"Yeah yeah," Sirius grumbled, "I just wish she'd let me help."

"We all want to help," Tonks replied softly, "but right now the best thing we can do is just give her some space."

Sirius looked thoroughly dissatisfied with this answer, still looking surly when he turned to an abnormally pale Remus.

"Did you at least ask her to make your Wolfsbane before she shut us out? Full moon is in four days, I hadn't seen you take any."

"Hmm? Oh ahh...yes. Yes I asked her before, she dropped off the serum well before I needed to start taking it. I've been dosing myself in my office: I know most of the students know about me already, but I just don't want to be seen drinking it."

"Do you think she made it right? You really aren't looking too good."

"I assure you," Remus replied, "her potions mastery will speak for itself on the night of the full moon."

The days passed quickly with still no sign of Noctua between classes. Sirius had given up trying to get her attention, but Harry had taken the time to find his godfather and tell him that she was beginning to look more like herself.

"See?" Tonks said, climbing the stairs towards the teacher's dorms with Sirius, "give it another week. I'm sure she'll be fine."

The night of the full moon was upon them. Sirius hadn't seen Remus all day as he'd cancelled his classes, staying in bed citing a typical, pre-moon headache. Sirius had just left the Great Hall when he ran into Tonks, whom had switched her shift with another Ministry sentry in order to be with Lupin for the moon.

"He's probably still sleeping," Sirius yawned once they reached his bedroom. "Moony!" he yelled, knocking roughly, "wakey wakey! You ready to head to the shack?! Moon's up in 20! We're cutting it close here!"

Tonks was just about to chastise him for being so loud when he knew Remus had a migraine when the door creaked open.

"Moony?"

The room was a mess. Sweat stained sheets and books were strewn everywhere, pillows and potions ingredients tossed about, even the nightstand and lamp were on the floor.

"Bloody hell..."

"He isn't here," Tonks said, peeking into the bathroom that was attached to the room.

"Let's head to the Defense classroom. Maybe he's taking a last minute dose of Wolfsbane?"

The room grew slightly darker, calling their attention to the window where the moon was quickly rising in the sky.

"Whatever we do, we better be quick. C'mon!"

The two of them took off sprinting down the halls, wands at the ready. When they reached the bottom of the staircase Sirius grabbed her, yelling "c'mon! This way!" as he wrenched open a door hidden behind a large painting, racing down a secret corridor that landed them in front of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. They rushed in, ascending the stairs and body-checking their way through the door. Inside there was no sign of Remus, but a cauldron, dripping with the silvery residue of a potion, sat smoking slightly on the center of his desk. Tonks walked over and gave it a sniff before swiping a finger across the rim and tasting the liquid. She went instantly pale.

"Its...its sweet. It almost tastes like tea."

"So?"

"Sirius...in all these years, what has Remus told you about taking Wolfsbane?"

"That it-"

Sirius felt his blood run cold.

"That it tastes worse than death... God damn it, what was Nox d-"

Sirius was cut off by a loud, familiar howl from outside.

"Shit!"

Tonks and Sirius took off running again, this time running out of the castle and across the grounds, stopping to listen just outside of Hagrid's hut.

"With no Wolfsbane, Remus is dangerous. If any student is out of bounds-"

"We have to find him," Sirius growled through his teeth, cutting Tonks off.

Another howl sounded.

"He's in the Forbidden Forest!"

Sirius transformed into the great black dog before they ran through the thick trees, following the howls until they reached a large clearing where they were met with amber yellow eyes.

"Remus!" Tonks gasped. "Remus it's us! We're here!"

The wolf stalked forward out of the trees, fangs bared, claws tearing great chunks out of the dirt as he moved. Sirius transformed back, pulling Tonks away from the werewolf.

"I'm afraid that's not our Remus now," Sirius lamented. "That's Moony."

Tonks shot a desperate look in Sirius's direction before turning back to Moony.

"Remus please!" She cried. "It's us! It's your friends! I know you're still in there! Listen to me!"

The wolf hunkered down lowerer, growling loudly, preparing to pounce when a slender, snow white wolf shot out from the trees, getting right in his face. The tiny white wolf growled, backing the werewolf into the opposite tree line, barking when the werewolf turned its eyes back towards Tonks and Sirius for a moment. Suddenly the white wolf shuddered and glowed, transfiguring into the shape of a dark haired woman.

"That's it," she growled, voice low and sinister, wolf like as she kept low to the ground, holding a hand out, backing the werewolf further away from Tonks and Sirius.

" _Nox?!_ "

Noctua didn't break eye contact with the wolf, staring it down sternly even as he growled at her.

"So, you must be Moony," Noctua hissed, voice still in a tone so maleficent it made Sirius shiver. "I've met your other half. The old man I mean. Seems he doesn't let you out often does he?"

She took another step forward. This time Moony didn't move away. He stayed put, as if listening to what she had to say.

"No, he never lets you reach your full potential. He takes that poison slop and chains you away. But not tonight, huh? No, tonight you're gonna run wild and free. Feel the blessing of the moon! Feel the strength he lacks! The _power_!"

Now she was right beside him. She placed a hand on his nose. The wolf looked unsure at first, but he accepted the gesture. Growling in what seemed now to be a sign of respect.

"And look!" She cried. "I even brought you a plaything!"

She turned towards Tonks and Sirius, bringing her free arm up to present Tonks, who looked appalled at this. Noctua mouthed _'trust me!_ ' And beckoned Tonks to come forward. Tonks slowly approached, shivering as the werewolf once again hunkered down and growled at her, locking eyes with the horrified witch.

"You know her, you know," Noctua continued, voice still dark and teasing, "maybe not you, but your other half. She's his mate. She's _his_. But you have yet to make her _yours_. To claim her. Take her now! Show her what it is to be you! To have the power and strength of the wolf!"

Noctua took Tonks's hand and placed it on the beast's nose, waiting a moment before stepping away entirely. Tonks and the wolf held eye contact for a moment before he relented, pulling his body down low onto the ground and waiting. Noctua ran back up.

"Have you ever been Moon-bound to a werewolf before?" Noctua asked hurriedly, voice now normal.

"I...can't say I have," Tonks said, still looking terrified.

"Let me explain quickly then, there isn't much time. Way back, in the days of covens and old magic, some witches and wizards revered the werewolves. They found a way to bind a werewolf's human mind with a person, essentially making them human Wolfsbane. If we do this right, Remus will be linked to you, and as long as you're present for the change or in his presence while transformed, he'll be in his human mind."

"Ok... great...what do I need to do?"

Noctua smiled a sly smile.

"Let him show you what it's like to be the wolf."

Tonks understood at once, turning back to Moony and locking eyes once more before hoping onto his back.

"Hold on tight!"

The beast took absolutely no time before he took off running, leaving Sirius and Noctua to chase behind.

"Honestly" Noctua gasped, "We probably can't keep up. At least not like this."

Sirius nodded, transforming into the dog and running alongside the slender white wolf that appeared before him. They ran deeper into the forest, so far in that Sirius found himself wondering how deep it went. After running for what felt like ages, they found themselves beside the pond where Harry had saved Sirius from the dementors all those years ago. Tonks still sat on the wolf's back, panting slightly. Her eyes had gone completely white, her mouth hanging open in awe. The wolf's eyes had also gone white, staring far off, looking at something Noctua and Sirius could not see.

"I...I understand."

She dismounted, scratching behind the werewolf's ears, earning a tongue across her cheek.

"Eww! Moony!"

Sirius and Noctua returned to human form.

"Remus," Sirius said, cautiously, "is that...?"

The beast hunkered down and growled before pouncing on the man, lapping at his face and giving a doggish bark that sounded almost like laughter.

"Hey there. Good to see ya bud. Now can you get off of me?"

Remus leapt off of Sirius before running in a few tight circles and bowling Tonks over, settling his head in her lap.

"Alright, for my first time seeing him transform? Wolfish Remus is kinda cute."

The wolf sat up and pressed his short muzzle into Tonks's cheek in a sort of kiss.

"Love you, too, furry guy."

"Werewolves have incredible power," Noctua began nervously, starting toward the group slowly. "Its a shame the way they're forced to live. Hiding in the shadows like stray dogs."

"Nox," Sirius breathed, eyes filled with sorrow.

"I...I'm sorry for staying away so long. I was scared and I-"

"It's okay," Sirius said, springing foward to take her hands, kissing the back of one. "You're here now, and if you hadn't come... well..."

"Best not to think of it," she finished for him.

The four of them sat together, waiting for the sunrise. Once it came, the wolf let out one last long, sorrowful howl before turning back into very exhausted, slightly green looking Remus.

"Hey there," Tonks said softly, tossing his cloak around him. "How you feeling?"

He shook his head so slightly that anyone could have missed it. Tonks gently rubbed his back, pressing a hand to his forehead.

"He's burning up," Tonks whispered, looking distressed.

"This clearing has the ingredients for a decent Pepper Up potion. Should be good enough to get him back to the castle and have Madame Pomfrey look after him."

Noctua started gathering ingredients right away, quickly finding a rock large enough to shape into a cauldron and another to create a mortar and pestle. She worked as fast as she could, finding a long, rounded leaf to drop a dose of the potion into Remus's mouth.

"Give it a few minutes. I'm guessing its been a long time since you've undergone an unhindered transformation, huh?"

Remus nodded again, slightly harder this time.

"Noctua," Tonks murmured, "what happened? Why didn't your Wolfsbane take?"

Noctua's brow furrowed.

"I...I didn't make any Wolfsbane for Remus."

"Me," Remus gurgled, head still swimming, "my...potion."

"What?"

Sirius rushed over, staring at Remus incredulously.

"Your potion? You never make your own Wolfsbane! What were you thinking, mate?"

"Didn't...want her to know... Didn't...want to scare her away..."

Sirius's eyes softened at this.

"Oh Remus," Noctua sighed. "I'd have never judged you. How could I? Look who I am! But...to be honest I guessed at it. I mean the nickname 'Moony' is hardly subtle. Besides, I could probably spot a werewolf before I could spot a mountain troll."

Remus swallowed hard, sitting himself up slightly but still bracing himself on Tonks.

"The...moonbinding," He grunted, "How...How did you know? I thought...just a myth..."

Noctua shook her head.

"You'll remember, I'm a Rosier. Well, I have a Rosier in my family tree, anyway. They'd deny it now if you asked, but the Rosiers used to be one of those covens that revered the wolves for their power. They didn't believe in suppressing the wolf spirit, they preferred to embrace it. There's so much that can be learned from them, so much that would be helpful to werewolves now. Anyone with Rosier blood now probably has an aptitude to 'handling' wolves now. I actually have a few tomes written by their coven if you'd like to see them."

Remus nodded at this, starting to gain a little color back.

"Is that how you could talk Remus down?" Sirius asked. "Seems a little dangerous to try on book knowledge alone, Rosier blood or not."

Noctua frowned.

"I had to learn on the field. One of my handlers was a werewolf. A great, terrible one too. He learned the old ways and used them to terrorize people. See, most werewolves now view themselves as one spirit, tormented by the curse of the moon. That's not really true though. It's two spirits: the human and the wolf, both inhabiting one body. It's parasitic. I'm sure you've heard him in your head, Remus. Random urges towards aggression, the nagging hunger for bloody meat- that's the wolf spirit trying to come to the forefront. If you wanted to learn, you could call him forward. He could even speak through you. It could be used to help understand yourself better, but my handler had other ideas. He let the aspect of the wolf take over completely, he even looked like the wolf on days where the moon wasn't full."

Remus glared out over the lake.

"Sounds a lot like the man who turned me," he snarled.

"I don't doubt it. He wanted more werewolves to embrace that side of themselves. To turn to dark magic. The man who turned you could have been one of his cult."

"One other thing," Sirius asked, "you're an animagus? You never told me!"

"Unregistered, yes," Noctua sighed. "The events behind me becoming one were unpleasant to say the least. Its not an ability I use often."

"I see," Sirius returned, dropping the subject for fear of upsetting her again.

Soon the sun had fully risen, beating down on all of them, making Remus's skin itch. They walked back to the castle with him, grateful that it was the weekend and the most of the students had opted to sleep in. Once they tucked Remus into his bed they called for Madame Pomfrey, Tonks staying with her to help clean Remus up. Sirius found himself alone in the common room with Noctua.

"Hey...are we okay?"

"Of course!" She replied, looking rather upset that he would ask.

"No, I mean...what we talked about before. About trying... is that still what you want?"

"Is it still what you want?"

Sirius was quite for a moment.

"Yes. More than anything."

"Me too."

Sirius closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around the witch, kissing her forehead.

"Forehead kisses are cute, but my lips are down here."

"Say no more."

Sirius felt his heart flutter as he kissed her, laughing in his head as he remembered what James had said years ago of being in love.

"It's like taking a bad bludger in the head," the elder Potter had said. "Like jumping off your broom and hoping you never hit the ground."

Sirius didn't yet want to call it love, but he couldn't help but feel relieved as he held the woman in his arms. He sent out a silent prayer that he would never disappear on him again.

xXxXx

Tonks ignored the nagging ache in her back as she discarded what felt like the hundredth set of sheets that day. Although Remus had never permitted Tonks to be present for his transformations, he always allowed her to care for him the days following. However, this being his first transformation without Wolfsbane in several years, he was worse off than normal. He soaked through his sheets rapidly, causing them to constantly need changing. Tonks also had to sponge the sweat off of him each time she changed the sheets, being sure to re-enchant the towel on his forehead to stay cool. He had to be sat up regularly to take in water and healing potions, too, as well as being assisted to the bathroom every now and again. To Tonks it was a labor of love that she'd gladly do time and again if it meant Remus's well being, but as the clock struck 9pm, she had to admit she was having trouble hiding her fatigue, turning into a puddle of sweat herself.

"Tonks," Remus called quietly, sitting himself up slowly in the freshly changed bed. "Go. I think I'm well enough to handle myself. You look exhausted."

"I'm fine! You're still sick, Remus, let me stay the night and make sure you're okay."

Remus shook his head.

"Let Sirius handle me if I need anything. I know he can be a bit reckless at times, but believe me: this is one job he takes very seriously. You go get some well needed rest. I couldn't be more grateful for all the help you've given me today."

Tonks opened her mouth to protest but shut it when she saw Remus's pleading look. If there was anything the marauder hated more than turning into the wolf, it was feeling like he was a burden on his friends.

"I...okay. I guess I could use a shower."

"You're more than welcome to use mine if you'd like."

Tonks started towards the bathroom when she thought better of it, turning back toward Lupin.

"Actually, d'you think I could use the prefect's bathroom?"

"The prefect's bathroom?" Remus repeated, confused. "Why that one?"

"I've always heard the bath was nice. 'Sides, the stuffy arses never appointed me prefect back in my day. Apparently they don't like it when you turn into your head of house and start taking points from Slytherins."

Remus's lip twitched at this. He lamented, for a moment, that Tonks wasn't around in his year. The marauders could have used her abilities to get into and out of a lot of trouble.

"Well alright I suppose. I actually just set the new password. It's R-"

Remus stopped himself for a moment, thankful that his face was already red from his fever.

"It's uh... Roselock." He finished meekly, turning away from Tonks.

"Roselock? What's that supposed to-"

Tonks had reached up to shove the one stubborn bit of hair that always peeked out from under her robes back in its place. Instead she held it in front of her face: a single strand of pink hair. A _rose lock_.

"Oh Remus," she breathed softly, "If you weren't already so worn out I'd jump your bones right about now."

"I suppose I'll have to take a rain check on that, love," he chuckled lightly.

Tonks's head swam with all the things she wanted to do to and with Remus once he was feeling better. Instead she settled on making a point to pick up a few bars of chocolate for him once she was back in Hogsmede. On her way to the prefects bathroom she passed by the hall into the dungeons, she turned heel quickly, deciding to make her evening a little more interesting.

" _Who comes calling?_ " The door to the potions chamber asked her.

"It's your favorite troublemaking, werewolf loving auror!"

The door swung open, revealing an amused looking Noctua.

"Wotcher, Nox."

"Good evening, Nymphadora. What can I do for you?"

"Feel like making mischief?"

Noctua wasn't sure what to expect, but the twinkle in the metamorphmagus's eye bid her to agree. Soon the two were standing in front of the door to the prefect's bathroom.

" _Roselock!_ "

The two entered, Noctua shooting Tonks a knowing smile.

"Moony make that one?"

Tonks's blush served as all the answer she needed.

"The prefect's bathroom, though? What are we doing in here?"

"Well," Tonks said, pulling her shirt over her head and working on her pants, "it just dawned on me that you've probably never had a bubble bath."

"Oh! I actually haven't but- _TONKS_!"

Tonks had stripped completely naked, casting a cheeky grin at Noctua, thoroughly unabashed. She brought her hands up over her eyes.

"I won't look if you don't want me to."

"But that's hardly fair is it? I mean I've seen you."

"It's alright, I'm not shy. You go on and get in the tub, I'll get in after."

Noctua stripped down, keeping an eye on Tonks to see if she peeked, which she didn't. Once she was nude she walked over to the massive, pool sized tub, turning the largest lever and filling the tub with water. Once it was half full she hopped in, calling Tonks over. Tonks climbed into the tub herself, examining the three dozen odd faucets that surrounded the tub. She turned on a few, filling the bath with pleasantly scented, swirling pastel bubbles. Once it was full she laid back, kicking her feet lazily in the warm water.

"This is really nice," Noctua sighed, dipping her head back into the water and soaking her long, black hair.

"I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner. I'm a mess after running around for Remus all day."

"What's the story there, anyway? How did you two end up together? I've run with wolves before, but I've never seen a witch so willingly marry one."

Tonks let out a long sigh, staring up at the magical swirling ceiling in a daze.

"It's a bit of a long tale. The two of us were working together with the Order of the Phoenix."

"Order of the Phoenix?"

"A magical resistance assembled to fight back against Voldemort's regime. They formed during the first Wizarding War and again for the second. I spent most of my posts going back and forth between the Ministry and Grimmauld place. Remus was staying there helping Sirius and conducting the meetings. The three of us spent a lot of time together and well... I guess after a while I sort of fell for Remus. He was so kind hearted and bookish. He was quiet most of the time, but he loved a bit of mischief, too. Used to set the portrait of Walburga, Sirius's mum, off on purpose in the middle of the night just to piss him off. It was hysterical."

Tonks took a pause to laugh and dunk her head under the water, coming back up to work her hair into a lather.

"Anyway, I just brushed it off as a school girl crush. He was so much older than me, I figured he wasn't interested. But every now and again I'd catch him looking and I thought maybe...Well then there was this one time. Real handsome wizard ran through, total dreamboat you know? So I made an offhand comment about him being cute and Remus snapped at me. I told him if he wasn't so thick headed he'd realize that I'd fallen for him. He stayed away for a while. Took any mission that took him as far away from me and dealing with his feelings as possible. He kept swearing he was too dangerous, but like I gave a damn. Everything about who we were and who we had in our lives was dangerous. What made him any different. I finally just told him off and it got through to him. That night we...well..."

Tonks turned as pink as her hair before dunking her head back in the bath to rinse out her hair.

"Suffice it to say, that was it after that night. We're both absolutely terrified of what the future may bring. Even now with the war over. But we're in love, so we're gonna fight for it."

"I can't imagine you being scared of anything," Noctua replied, frowning slightly. "You're so brave and headstrong...nothing ever gets to you."

Tonks let out a loud, snorting laugh at this.

"What are you kidding? Everything scares me. I'm horrified of losing my husband to this damn curse, I'm scared for him every moon that the pain is just too much to bare, I'm horrified for my cousin that whatever terrors he's seen in Azkaban or the veil is going to haunt him forever, I'm mortified at the prospect of being trusted to protect these students and failing- There's not a single moment that I'm not worried about one thing or another."

"But then how do you get through it?"

"I remind myself that the alternative of giving up and letting my fears overcome me is worse than trying and failing. I only have one shot at this life, why waste it being miserable and scared of my own shadow? It may be hard, but at the end of the day I know everything I have and everyone I love is damn well worth fighting for."

Noctua hummed at this, visions of Sirius and her new life at Hogwarts dancing in her head.

"So!" Tonk said excitedly, breaking Noctua out of her thoughts. "I know things didn't end so well, but how'd your date with Sirius go? He was really nervous before he asked you out, made me pick out what wine to get you and everything."

"That sly dog!" Noctua gasped. "He told me he picked it!"

The two of them fell into a fit of laughter, the sound echoing through the large bathroom.

"It was...nice actually. We decided to be a couple and see where it goes. There was...also a kiss."

"A kiss? You say that like the two of you haven't full on fooled around before."

Noctua turned red, staring at the fizzling bubbles in the tub as if they'd suddenly become the most fascinating thing in the world.

"No way, _never_?! But what about that night after the concert?!"

"Oh that was lovely," Noctua replied, smiling up at the ceiling as if she was watching the night play out in the enchanted sky above them. "We stayed up all night talking about music and then we fell asleep."

"But you didnt-"

"No. Actually the kiss during our picnic was my first time ever doing anything like that."

Tonks's mouth hung open even wider, only closing when a realization hit her.

"So that would mean, and I mean thank goodness if I'm right, none of your handlers ever tried anything with you?"

Noctua winced, sending Tonks into a barrage of apologies, but the witch raised her hands to stop her.

"No no, it's okay. I honestly just don't have an easy answer to that question."

"Christ, Nox, I can't imagine."

"It's okay. That part of my life is long behind me. I ran from it and ran into you all. I'll never be able to express how happy I am to...to have friends."

Tonks grinned and shoved a wave of bubbly water into Noctua's face. The dark haired witch cackled at this, returning the wave herself. Before long there was water and suds all over the floor, the two of them having managed to empty half of the tubs contents in their splash fight.

"And there you have it," Tonks panted, getting changed back into her clothes, "Your first ever bubble bath."

"Here's to many more," Noctua returned, changing back into her own night gown.

The two parted ways, Tonks headed to the Hogsmede barracks for some much needed sleep, and Noctua towards her room in the dungeons. Suddenly, she thought better of it, and instead started the climb towards the abandoned teacher's dorms. Once inside the common room he found herself standing outside of Sirius's door, staring into the old wood. She second guessed herself, wondering if she was crazy for doing this, or intruding, she'd turned to leave when she felt a cold hand on her arm. She turned to find Remus, still a bit pale and sickly looking, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Go on," he breathed softly, "I'm sure he'd be happy to see you."

She nodded once, thanking Remus as he returned to his room, and turned toward the door, gathering all her courage before giving it a few hard knocks.

"That you, Moony? Is there something you n-"

He stopped at the sight of the witch before him: Her hair was still slightly wet, a few strands of it stuck to her face in slick swirls. One curl in particular was sitting across her lips, still rosy and swollen from the heat of the bath, making them look even softer and fuller than usual. She smelled distinctly of lilac and lavender, the short nightgown she wore revealing long, pale, smooth legs. Her dark eyes seemed to twinkle in the lamp light beside the door. Sirius swallowed hard.

"Hey Nox..."

"Hey."

"Could I...do something for you?"

"I was wondering if...well if its okay...I just thought maybe...woulditbeokayifIsleptherewithyoutonight?"

"Sorry, what?" Sirius asked, brows knitting together."

"Would it be okay if I slept here with you tonight?" She repeated more slowly, fists clenched in determination.

"Oh. Oh! Yeah, come in."

Sirius's room was a mess, clothes strewn everywhere, old plates piled in a corner, books left open and face down to keep their place. It looked more like the home of a teenage boy than that of a professors.

"You'll ruin the binding if you leave them like that," Noctua groaned, pointing at the books on the table.

"Ugh, now you sound like Moony. They're old anyway; they can take a beating. Now come here."

Sirius wound his arms around Noctua's waist from behind, burying his face in her wet hair and breathing in her scent. She went tense for a moment before relaxing, leaning back into him.

"Will you...just hold me like this for a while?"

"Of course."

The two of them swayed together, Sirius moving her hair leaning down, placing a few kisses on the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder, sending a shiver down her spine as his stubble rubbed across her neck.

"Should we move this to the bed?"

"Y...yes."

Sirius took Noctua's hand and guided her over to the large, canopy bed. He grabbed his wand from the bedside stand, casting several silencing and anti eavesdropping charms before laying down, beckoning Noctua to lay with him. She instead climbed on top of him, straddling him and placing her hands on his broad chest. Sirius did the best he could to control himself, but with her smelling and looking as good as she did, and with the two of them in that particular... _position.._.

Sirius could feel the warmth building between his legs, trying to ignore it as he magicked the curtains shut, casting them into darkness. He felt Noctua move on top of him, and before he could ask what she was doing he heard her quietly whisper " _Lumos!_ "

If he was trying to hold it together at all, it was over in that moment. Noctua had cast away the short nightgown and was now only in a lacey set of underwear.

"Nox-"

"Shh."

She brought a hand up and pressed a finger on Sirius's lips before lovingly stroking his cheek.

"I just...I just wanted you to see me. Really see me, if that's okay."

Sirius nodded. As he did so the unnatural warmth of Noctua's skin, which he'd never noticed before, faded away. Suddenly her smooth pale skin was covered in scars, old bruises, and even what appeared to be brandmarks and cigarette burns. Sirius bit back an angry growl, feeling his body grow warm with fury.

"I know... It's hideous isn't it? It's body? _My_ body I mean...Sorry sometimes the old training comes back. I was always 'it'. A tool and a thing to be used. But that's not why I wanted to show you. I just... I just wanted you to know what I really looked like. In case you wanted to change your mind..."

Sirius didn't respond. Instead he wrenched off his own shirt, revealing his own tattoos, brands, and scars. He took Noctua's hand, guiding it over to the brand he received in Azkaban.

"Bastard who did this burned it in so deep you'd have thought he had a personal vendetta."

He slid it over to another tattoo on his arm written in runes, a small part of it ruined by a thick, keloid scar.

"This one was all of my mates' names. Tore out Peter's with my hands and teeth that first night in Azkaban. I'll never forgive the bastard."

Finally he trailed her hand down the column of tattoos on the center of his stomach.

"These? These I got just for the hell of it."

Noctua traced a few of the tattoos, wondering at their meanings and how painful they must have been to get.

"Do you find me repulsive now?" Sirius breathed.

"What? No, of course not!"

"Then why would I think any less of you?"

Before she could answer Sirius brought her into a kiss. He broke it only to lean down and kiss every quirk and imperfection on her body. Noctua closed her eyes, letting herself go limp in his arms as he worked his way across her body, head tossed back in pure bliss. He came back up, again pressing his lips against hers, this time surprised to find her returning the kiss with more passion than he did, sliding her tongue into his mouth, grabbing fistfuls of his hair as his hands roamed freely. Finally he found the clasp to her bra and undid it, starting to work it off of her when he heard a quiet gasp of " _Nox!_ "

Again they were cast into darkness. When he illuminated his own wand he found a very flushed, panting Noctua back in her night gown.

"I...I'm sorry. I'm not ready yet. I thought I was but-"

"Don't be sorry," Sirius said softly, bringing her down against his chest, rubbing her back. "We said we were gonna take it slow, remember? This is more than I imagined we would be doing."

"Are you sure you aren't mad at me?"

"Of course not."

"Sirius?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you..."

Sirius bent down and kissed the top of her forehead, raking his fingers up and down her spine. It wasn't long before he heard her breathing slow, light snores erupting from her now and again. Soon after, he drifted off to sleep himself.

xXxXx

Noctua got up bright and early the next morning, being sure to press a kiss on Sirius's cheek and leaving a note that she would return later that afternoon. After, she made the long trek to Hogsmede, checking on Tonks to see if she was off duty. After their bonding moment in the prefect's bathroom, Noctua felt totally at ease with the metamorphmagus, inviting her to Diagon Alley to gather the ingredients needed to produce Remus's Wolfsbane. Having the greater part of the morning and afternoon off, Tonks was all too happy to join her, and the two of them found themselves stepping out of the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron not long after.

"Any errands you wanted to run while we're here?" Noctua asked, brandishing her list of ingredients.

"If we pass by the sweets shop I think I'd like to get Remus some chocolate. The stuff at Hogsmede is fine, but I'm sure Diagon Alley has better."

As it happened, Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes was the first store they passed. They swung in briefly, deciding that some joke chocolate may work to lift Remus's spirits.

"So," Tonks said, taking a moment to pet the pygmy puffs, "when are you gonna tell me how you got that hickey are your neck?"

"What?!"

Noctua rushed over to a shop mirror, mortified to find that she did indeed have a red mark the size of a galleon on her neck.

"Damn it, Sirius! I have classes tomorrow!"

Tonks burst out laughing.

"No worries, they're easy to cover up. Although you could just let the kids speculate..."

"No way," Noctua returned, transfiguring the new mark out of sight. "They already think I'm a vampire, you know. The last thing I need is new rumors."

"I could see it now," Tonks giggled, " _'Did you hear?! Professor Gaunt and Professor Flitwick are shagging!'_ "

Noctua gagged and started coughing, Tonks laughing mirthfully as she thumped the professor on the back.

"Okay but really! Did you two...you know?"

"There was a bit of snogging, but nothing more," Noctua said stiffly, making a point to ignore the smug look on Tonks's face.

The two made their purchase -a box of chocolates containing a single chocolate that would turn the eater blue with yellow polka dots- and continued on their way. They gathered most of the ingredients they needed at the potions store before discovering one last missing item.

"Aconite," Noctua sighed, "Wolfsbane itself. We can't get that here, we'll have to go to Knockturn Alley."

Tonks wrinkled her nose at this but nodded. They walked to the end of the string of pleasant shops and boutiques, stopping only for a moment for Tonks to point out the store where she and Sirius bought the sangria before turning down a filthy, crumbling cobblestone street.

"I hate this place," Noctua hissed, turning her eyes away from the less-than-savory wizards whom had turned their attention to the two pretty witches.

"You and me both. Lets get what we came for and be done."

The two turned into an alley way behind the shops in an attempt to shorten the trip to the dark potions shop. Suddenly there was a noise and a shout of " _Stupefy!_ " and Tonks went flying, slamming into a brick wall and crumpling, limp, onto the ground, nose bleeding.

"Tonks!"

Before she could run to the witch, Noctua found herself petrified, a silent spell hitting her.

"At long last," came a growl from the shadows, "I've found you _cub_."

Noctua felt her blood run cold as a beastly looking man slinked out, body covered in fur, eyes white and wild. He stalked over to Tonks's limp body, giving her a sniff before snickering.

"I know you, don't I, gorgeous? You're that Lupin's woman aren't you? And bound to him, too? Yes, I can smell it. Seems he's learned the old ways..."

He turned back towards the petrified Noctua, stalking over and getting so close his lips nearly touched hers.

"You taught him that, didn't you _cub_? You aren't friends with those traitors, are you? No matter, I suppose you can tell _him_ all about it once we get you back where you belong. But now what shall we do with her? It's not the full moon. I can't change her. But maybe. _Yesss.._."

He made a move to go back to Tonks, eyes more wild than ever as he ran a tongue along abnormally sharp teeth. He leaned over her unconscious body when there was a shout from the other side of the alley way.

" _Incarcerous_!"

At once, great ropes wrapped themselves around the wolfish man, causing him to gasp and struggle. A tall, platinum blonde witch ran into the alley way, bending over Tonks to see if she was okay.

"Cissy? What is- NYMPHADORA!"

Another witch ran in, this one with heavy lids and a curly mess of light brown hair. She dropped down, shaking Tonks, trying in vain to get her to come to by magic.

"'Dromeda," the blonde said, tense. "She's not waking. We'll bring her home with us. I'll have Draco call for a doctor."

The blonde witch rounded on Noctua, wand drawn.

"She was who he was after," she snarled, staring the immobile witch down.

"Bring her too, then," replied the other witch. "We'll get to the bottom of this."


	5. Piercing the Veil

**A/N: Slight Off-canon chapter. Thank you again for reading; your views, reviews, follows, and faves mean the world to me.**

The Malfoy manor was as dark and miserable as ever. Entirely too clean, too expensive, and uncomfortably stately in a way that made one feel that they weren't welcome to touch the furniture or anything in the home. There were signs of the poorly status of the Malfoy family, however: some of the furnishings had clearly been replaced with somewhat cheaper, mismatched versions, the original settings having been sold. The dark, hardwood floors were scratched and stained here and there, presumably with the blood of the Dark Lord's victims, leaving the permanent remnants of a time where the home served as a headquarters for the darkest regime to ever exist in the wizarding world. On the large coffee table in the room designated for entertaining guests sat a transcript for an unfinished book, the cover glowing in the light of the fireplace: "My Life as Malfoy's Wife: A Tale of Love Gone Wrong In the Wizarding Wars. Written by Narcissa Malfoy, Co-Authored by Rita Skeeter."

Narcissa laid a levitated Tonks on the couch beside the coffee table, Andromeda sitting the still-petrified Noctua beside her. The brunette witch leveled her wand with the bound woman, giving her a warning glare before casting her incantation.

" _Finite Incantatum!_ "

Noctua sighed, beginning to shake out her stiff limbs before the witch stalked forward, bringing her wand inches from her nose.

"Don't you move."

" _Ennervate!_ "

Narcissa tried desperately again to rouse the metamorphmagus, this time dropping her shoulders in relief once she began to stir.

"Nymphadora? Nymphadora are you alright? Can you hear me?"

Tonks sprang up from the couch, wand drawn, reeling slightly. She stared the blonde witch down, fury in her eyes as she moved to cast a curse.

"Tonks, don't! She's not the one who attacked you!"

"Mum?"

Tonks lowered her wand slightly in confusion, looking back and forth between the two women with a baffled expression.

"That's Narcissa Malfoy, Mum! Your sister? The crazy one who married a Death Eater?! The one who disowned you for dropping that bullshit pureblood mania?!"

"I know Nymphadora. Please, sweetheart you're turning green. You need to sit down, you took a serious blow to the head-"

"The hell I did! I must have considering you're here with that _thing_ they call a witch! I must be going mad!"

"Nym-"

"DON'T. CALL ME. NYMPHADORA."

Andromeda's eyes dropped to the floor, defeated. Narcissa reached out to her, squeezing her shoulder.

"Tonks I know you're confused," Narcissa began, "Believe me, this hasn't been easy to navigate for us, either. It was chance that brought us back together. Your mother and I ran into each other at the Ministry. We... we were there for Bellatrix's trial."

Narcissa and Andromeda shared a look. One of great pain and regret, but also one of understanding.

"I can't pretend what happened between us didn't happen. That Bella and I didn't turn her away or run her name through the mud after she left, but things are different now. I have a husband and sister in Azkaban and a son who's lost. There's nothing more important than family now. What else do I have?"

Tonks said nothing, she only continued to glare, gripping her wand tighter.

"We missed out on so much, Dora," Andromeda sighed, stepping closer to her daughter. "We missed out on nieces and nephews, on being with our cousins, on weddings, on birthdays- I know it seems mad, but I've never lied to you. I loved my family. I've always been a proud Slytherin and a proud Black. But I loved your father, too. I hoped that maybe seeing that their model daughter and sister could have a fruitful, healthy marriage with a muggleborn might change my family's mind about their Pureblood craze. There were moments... it seemed like Cissy and Bella could let it go. But ultimately they made it clear I would be shunned. It broke my heart to leave."

Narcissa reached out for her sister's hand. Andromeda took it, shooting her a sad smile.

"I couldn't understand why 'Dromeda would just throw away everything it meant to be pureblood. The status, the power, the respect- I think it took all this to see: I had a perfect Pureblood marriage and what did it get me? I had all the money in the world and ran in the highest circles of society... and now I'm nothing. Here I am writing a damn fake tell-all just to get sympathy and scrounge up enough money to save my estate. What did our Bella get besides the title of the darkest witch of all time and a life sentence in Azkaban? For all the importance we put on being Pureblood it was Andromeda that got what she deserved. I can't believe how foolish we've been."

"...I don't care" Tonks spat, "I'm getting the hell out of here. After all you've done, after everything you've been complicit in, I don't have a single drop of sympathy or even pity for you. You come crawling back to the family you could have had all along after all this time when you're at your lowest. So what happens when your husband comes home, huh? When he drops names like the coward he is and gets the Karkaroff treatment? I think you're forgetting, Malfoy, I'm an Auror. Anything you've done, anything your husband has done- it's come across my desk. The only reason why I didn't bring your filthy husband in is because it was too risky at the time and my mother, fool that she is, begged me not to get involved. How she still could love you after all that you and that twisted _bitch_ put her through, I'll never know. It's more than you deserve."

Tonks started forward toward the door but caught a foot under the coffee table, letting out a gasp as she plummeted towards the floor, only to be caught by set of pale hands. Draco pulled Tonks up roughly, putting her back on the couch with enough force that he practically threw her. When she made a move to get up again he raised his wand, threatening her.

"And how could _you_ love a werewolf nearly twice your age?" Draco sneared, keeping his wand pointed at her. "He's old and dangerous, and you know it. At any point he could miss a potion and kill you. But you don't care, do you? The war brought you closer together, made you make the confession you might not have if you weren't under pressure. You may have gone the rest of your freakish lives without knowing you two loved each other had the war never happened. Don't you get it? Do you really mean to tell me your mother didn't paint my mother to be the worst woman ever to you growing up? Do you really think it was easy for my mum to stop loving her sister over a simple marriage all that time ago? Or that she really ever stopped loving her? Two sides of the same coin. You're kidding yourself if you think any different."

Tonks smirked at Draco's wand, laughing to herself knowing full well she could take the boy on if she really wanted to, but in truth she could feel her head pounding and the urge to vomit overtaking her.

"Here," Draco sneared, tossing her a bottle full of blue liquid, "From St. Mungos."

She downed the liquid quickly, feeling the back of her head searing as the potion healed whatever damage the impact had done. When the pain stopped she felt rather fuzzy, but the worst of it had definitely passed and she felt less like vomiting. Suddenly her anger at the family drama subsided as she remembered the more important matter at hand, turning to Noctua who looked entirely uncomfortable.

"Nox! Are you alright? What happened back there? Did you get taken out, too?"

Noctua shook her head, turning pale as she, too, turned her mind back to the attack in Diagon Alley.

"Did you see who got us then?"

"We did." Narcissa piped up, "We have him chained up in the dining room, but I don't know how long it will hold. I've seen the wolfish bastard break through worse."

Noctua's eyes went wide. She leapt up from the couch, shoving past Andromeda to the fireplace behind them. Before they could react she'd already flooed away, leaving them all in shock.

"Shit! I have to go after her," Tonks gasped, springing up as well.

"Nymphadora wait, love! You still aren't well! You should stay here with me and Cissy! At least until you're feeling better!"

"I'm fine," Tonks growled through gritted teeth, stepping into the fireplace. She gave one last judging glance at all of them before she left.

"Who was it?" Tonk asked.

Andromeda went pale, her eyes turning sad and deperate as she watched her child leave.

"Fenrir Greyback."

And with that, Tonks was gone.

xXxXx

Tonks burst out of the fireplace in the Hogsmede bar, sprinting after Noctua.

"Nox! Nox you have to talk to me! Greyback was one of your handlers, wasn't he? Why would they be looking for y-"

Noctua spun on Tonks casting a curse so fast the witch had no time to react.

" _Occulocaecus_!"

At once the world around Tonks grew black. Tonks reached her hands up to her face in horror, trying desperately to see. She thought better of it, raising her wand to bring Noctua down.

" _Stupefy!_ "

" _Vaecordia Totalus!_ "

Suddenly Tonks's ears were filled with maddening screams. A number of foul smells assaulted her nose adding to the confusion. Instead of seeing only black, suddenly a dizzy sea of colors sped past her eyes. Her limbs seemed to be effected by the curse, too, every inch of her numb and buzzing as if all of her body had fallen asleep. Still, she raised her wand, unsure of where she was pointing, ready to duel.

"Tonks," Noctua's voice pled, cutting through the din of disembodied screams, "Don't make me do this. Just leave me alone."

Tonks refused to lower her wand.

" _Damn it_ Tonks! _Vacuocorpus!_ "

The screaming and colors stopped, as did the vibrating sensation in Tonks's body. For a moment she could feel nothing, her ears ringing, her vision white. Then, slowly, the world and her body returned to normal, leaving her dazed for a moment. When the feeling faded she sunk into the grass in a state of pure despair. Noctua was long gone, leaving Tonks to fear both for her well being, and also fear her formidable dark talents.

xXxXx

Noctua disappeared again, this time forgoing teaching altogether, barricading herself in her bedroom and allowing Flitwick to take over her classes. Sirius didn't have the chance to attempt to convince her to come out, this time receiving a letter from the witch explaining that she was not to be bothered, and that she would gladly duel anyone who tried to get her to resume her post.

"' _I'm dangerous and I've now potentially brought that danger here to Hogwarts_ '", Sirius read aloud to Remus and Tonks. "' _Once I figure out where to hide next, I'll be long gone. It's best that you forget you ever knew me._ '"

The events leading to Noctua's disappearance caused everyone to be on edge. Sirius, who had proven to be a wonderful assistant professor, seemed to give up on teaching, allowing Hagrid to do most everything again. He spent every night sitting outside the Potions classroom, hoping to see the witch he'd grown to care for. He borrowed back the Maurader's Map from Harry, watching Noctua's dot pace back and forth in her room and occasionally disappear after walking into the marked fireplace. One day, to Sirius's great despair, he woke to see her dot missing from the room. After scouring the map he decided she must have left by floo in the middle of the night. Her dot, however, never returned.

Tonks grew cold towards everyone, telling students off for minor rule breaking, never allowing Remus or Sirius to sit with her during her posts, and adopting a daunting, blunt, black haircut that gave her the appearance of a stern, unfriendly witch. When she wasn't at her post she was in the library, pouring over old books in the restricted section to try to learn more about the curses Noctua had used on her, and about how best to counter them. Aside from the incessant reading, she took to sending several dozen howlers to her mother each night, berating her and calling her disgusting for 'turning back to her Pureblood heritage'.

Remus, too, was effected by all of this. Tonks refused to see or speak to him on most days, only dropping by occasionally on nights where she was riding the high of telling off her mother, engaging in casual sex with her boyfriend that left the werewolf feeling rather used. Sirius was inconsolable and uninterested, avoid everything from serious subjects to even small talk. Remus found himself alone in cheering on Gryffindor for their quidditch matches, making the victories feel empty and the losses feel heavier. Worst of all, the revelation that Greyback was still out there made his stomach churn. He'd seen the werewolf camps while spying for the Order during the war. He knew what Greyback had been up to. That he could be out there, still ripping children from loving homes...

It seemed to Remus, as he slumped through his mid afternoon walk one day, weeks after Tonks returned from the attack at Diagon Alley, that the family he'd come to love had been torn apart. He hadn't remembered feeling that broken and alone since the night he lost James and Lily to Voldemort, and Sirius to Azkaban. Suddenly a shout broke him out of his thoughts and he turned his attention to the Lake. There he saw a dark haired Tonks bolting over to a crumpled mass on the dirt: a child.

"Declan!" Tonks screamed as she ran, dropping to her knees and turning the boy over. He was pale and his eyes darted all over as if he was trying to regain his vision. Slowly he came to and once he did he got up quickly, staring at Tonks in horror.

"Declan, I'm so sorry! I didn't think the spell would connect! I thought you saw and I-"

"You hit me."

His voice was that of disbelief. In all the weeks that Tonks had made time to teach the boy to duel, not one spell had ever connected. She'd been careful to make sure of it.

"I...I know. Please, don't be scared! I didn't mean to! I-"

"TONKS!"

Sirius was storming over from Hagrid's hut where he'd finished helping Hagrid crate the nifflers they'd been showing in class. Tonks turned to him and then back to Declan, who was running away.

"Declan! Declan, wait!"

"Let him go!" Sirius barked, grabbing Tonks's arm. "I _saw_ that! You _knew_ that curse would hit him! You did it on purpose! Even if you didn't you've been pushing that kid way too damn hard lately! What the hell has gotten into you?"

"What's gotten into me? I'm not the one moping around because the bitch he's shagging doesn't want to play anymore! I'm teaching that boy to protect himself so he doesn't end up dead like his brother! What are _you_ doing?" Tonks punctuated this with a shove, jerking her arm out of Sirius's grasp.

"Bullshit!" Sirius shouted, shoving his cousin harder. "The way you've been acting? They way you've been treating the students and Remus? Hell, even this ridiculous new 'Ministy Puppet' look you've put on, you're acting insane! If I didn't know any better, I'd be checking your arm for a Dark Mark!"

There was a loud ' _smack!_ ' as Tonks slapped Sirius across the face. All was quiet for a moment.

"Feel better?" Sirius sneered, eyes lowered at his cousin.

"You really are nothing more than a jail mutt, you know that? You didn't do the crime but maybe Azkaban was were you belonged."

"ENOUGH!"

Remus was shaking. He looked between his best friend and the love of his life feeling both rage and extreme disappointment.

"We are all upset about what happened. We're all worried. But we can't just fall apart at the seams like this! Look at yourselves! Really look!"

Tonks and Sirius faced their reflections in the lake, both shocked by what they saw. Sirius looked nearly as hollow as he did in the days following his escape from Azkaban. He hadn't slept or bathed properly in days and it was beginning to show. Tonks was even worse off. Sirius had been right, the jaw-length, black hair cut she sported coupled with the bags under her eyes from not sleeping, and her hollow cheeks from skipping meals made her look, indeed, like a Death Eater. They both looked horrible.

They turned towards each other, prompting a loud gasp from Tonks as she saw her red handprint stamped into Sirius's face. She reached up to touch where she'd left the mark before jerking her hand back, eyes welling with tears.

"I just did it again," she whispered, tears falling. "I just keep hurting people... First I can't protect her, and now I'm hurting people... How am I supposed to protect anyone? How am I supposed to do this? I. _Can't. DO THIS_!"

For the first time ever that Sirius or Remus could ever remember, Tonks broke down in front of them. They'd seen her tear up before, Remus could remember a number of tearful arguments they'd had when he was fighting his feelings for her. But neither had ever seen her like this, ugly sobs racking her body, tears falling too fast for her to wipe away, even her hair had reverted to their natural brown curls. Sirius held her up while she cried, rubbing her back, feeling guilty for shouting at her. Tonks always seemed so strong, so unbothered by every hardship that came their way. It was easy to forget how young she was, how much she'd seen and had to keep packaged away in her mind so as not to break.

"C'mon Tonks, its okay. It's not your fault. The bastard got the drop on you, there was nothing you could have done."

"B-but what if i-it happens again?" She gasped between sobs. "Wh-what if its a st-student? Or you? Or R-r-r-r-"

She couldn't get it out. The thought of Remus being hurt coupled with how she'd pushed him away over the past weeks crushed her, sending her into a second fit of tears.

"C'mon," Remus said softly, picking Tonks up, "Lets get inside. We can't have this conversation here."

They carried a sniveling Tonks through the castle, getting as far as the dungeons before turning into an old abandoned classroom. Remus pressed his forehead against one of the blank walls, focusing for a moment.

 _'I need a place where we can make amends.'_

The wall shuddered and slid away, revealing the door to the Room of Requirement. The three of them stepped inside, finding what appeared to be an old library with towering marble columns. In the center of the massive library was a running fountain containing a statue of two male wizards facing each other, staring down at their clasped hands. One wizard's face appeared mournful. The other's held a sad, forgiving smile. Tonks kicked off her shoes and waded into the large fountain, sitting on the edge, staring into the faces of the statues. Remus and Sirius followed suit, taking a seat on either side of her.

"I can't believe all this has happened," she whispered hoarsely, frowning into the water.

"You should've seen us back in the day," Remus chuckled, wrapping an arm around her, "the four of us used to go at it all the time. One time it was so bad we stopped talking for a week."

"I remember that," Sirius said, smiling into his reflection. "It was a prank gone wrong in our third year. We were trying to catch old Snivellus in this net we set outside of the Great Hall. We wanted everyone to see him dangling where he couldn't get down. It was going to be hilarious."

"Well, I didn't think so," Remus sighed, "it was one thing to get him somewhere on the grounds, but by the Great Hall? Where everyone could see? Not only did it seem needlessly cruel, but it was bound to get us caught by the professors."

"Well we did it anyway," Sirius continued, "It was perfect. Prongs was just outside the Great Hall in his invisibility cloak, waiting to see Snivellus get embarrassed. Wormtail was close by, ready to spring the trap when the time came. I was in the Great hall, making sure there was no sign of trouble, and Moony-"

"Was eating his breakfast, too annoyed to be bothered by any of it," Remus finished.

"Well it all went to shit faster than you can say 'Chudley Cannons'. The whole planned hinged on the fact that Snivellus almost always was the first one out of the Hall in the mornings. Well we figured if it wasn't him, we'd get some random kid and it would be fine anyway. Needless to say, that didn't happen."

"A girl at the Gryffindor table had gotten up to whisper something to Lily, who had come in late" Remus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he envisioned it. "We couldn't hear what she said, but Lily turned pale as a ghost and bolted out of the hall before either of us could stop her."

"Wormtail did as he was told and deployed the trap," Sirius sighed. "It was a Sunday. No one was in robes, everyone was in street clothes and... well Lily was in this short white skirt..."

"Oh no," Tonks groaned, knowing where the story was going.

"To be honest, the skirt wasn't the worst of it," Remus continued, "the girl at our table was warning Lily that she'd...well that she'd had an accident. So not only was the poor girl in a skirt, suspended in the air for everyone to see, but she was in a blood stained skirt, suspended for everyone to see."

"Prongs was _livid_ ," Sirius chuckled. "We got off for the crime because everyone knew how much James adored Lily. Even the professors thought James wouldn't pull a gag that cruel on the woman he fancied. They blamed it on Peeves. But then that was the problem: he _wouldn't_ pull a prank like that on Lily."

"James was pissed at all of us. He was mad that Wormtail deployed the trap on Lily, mad that Sirius didn't try to stop Lily from leaving the hall and mad that I had told him 'I told you so'."

"Of course it was all bullshit. Moony was right, it was a horrible idea. Wormtail had no way of seeing who was coming from where he was positioned, and even if I'd heard what that girl told Lily, she got up so fast I'd have never caught her. But for whatever reason we all blamed each other."

"So what happened? How did you end up talking again?"

Remus grinned.

"If you'd believe it? McGonagal. We drove the woman batty with our stunts, but truth be told there were a few times where she easily could have caught us that she let us go."

"McGonagal is the reason we even became animagi. Used to slip little bits and pieces of how to become one in the class assignments. I think she knew us four misfits needed each other. And that Moony needed people to be by his side for the moon."

"So when she noticed we weren't talking the four of us mysteriously got detentions. First it was James for not turning in an assignment. Then it was Peter for sleeping in class. Then Sirius for drawing on his books when he should have been paying attention, and finally me for being late."

"But he wasn't late that day," Sirius piped up, "That was sort of the first clue as to what she was doing. The next was that she waited until all four of us had been written up before actually assigning a detention time."

"We all went together. An hour long. Usually it was writing lines or cleaning the desks, but instead she made us work together."

"She left us an old book that described all these detection spells and how to find secret passages. The assignment was wild: find a hidden passageway to Hogsmede."

"We thought she'd gone senile," Remus laughed, "but she threatened to put us in detention every day for the rest of the year until we did it."

"Took us nine days to find a path," Sirius sighed wistfully, "but we were talking again by day two. We were all fascinated by the prospect of finding secret doors and things. And we'd found quite a few while looking for one that lead to Hogsmede."

"The strangest part of all," Remus said, smile growing, "was that once we did find a route, we were told explicitly not to tell McGonagal where it was... by McGonagal herself."

"But that was it, wasn't it? Not only were we friends again, but we were hooked. We wanted to find every single secret Hogwarts had to offer and map it out."

"And that was the beginning of the Marauder's Map," Remus finished. "We found so much during that nine days, but in all honesty? I think the most important thing we found was our way back to each other."

"Oh Merlin, you just had to go and make it sappy, didn't you?" Sirius groaned.

The three of them laughed, taking a moment to just enjoy each other's company. They hadn't sat together in weeks, and each of them had to admit, though it was an ugly way to get back together, they were glad to have each other.

"I'm so sorry," Tonks murmured finally, breaking the companionable silence. "I just didn't know what to do. One moment I'm getting knocked out by a dark wizard, leaving Noctua to fend for herself after we promised to protect her, the next I find out my Mum is hanging around my crazy aunt, then I find out that the bastard who took me out is my boyfriend's assailant, then I learn he's also the one who hurt my cousin's girlfriend, and then I get put out again by my own friend using magic I've never even heard of. It's my job to stop dark wizards and here it is that I couldn't protect myself from one, my mum is hanging out with another, and my new friend's just proved herself to be one. I don't know how to feel or what to think."

"Don't be sorry," Remus cooed, rubbing her back again. "It's a lot for anyone to take in. We'll take everything one step at a time. But we'll do it together. All this bottling up of emotions and secrecy is just making things worse."

Sirius clenched his fists beside them, feel the truth bubbling forward in his mind.

"You're right," he sighed, finally. "Keeping things from each other is only making things worse. And there's something I've been hiding from the two of you for a long time."

Tonks took Sirius's hand, giving it a light squeeze.

"There's nothing you can't tell us," she said quietly. Beside her Remus nodded, giving his old friend a reassuring smile. Sirius released his fists and let out a long, slow breath.

"It's...it's the Veil. What I saw there. What I went through. I've...I've carried a lot of guilt about it. That's why I've never told you all the truth."

"Guilt?" Remus scoffed. "Sirius, you walked through the land of the dead and somehow came out a halfway decently adjusted man. I thought it was impressive that you suffered through Azkaban without completely cracking but this..."

"It's not the land of the dead."

"What?"

"It's not the land of the dead," Sirius repeated, clenching his fists again. "That's what the Ministry keeps on file to stop people from seeking it out. It's something more than that. Something more sinister..."

"What was it?" Tonks whispered, brow furrowing.

"A breeding ground," Sirius answered, voice cracking. "And a feeding pen."

"But for what?" Remus asked.

xXxXx

 _There was a flash of red light as the stunning spell hit Sirius. For a moment he was mostly just pissed that he'd let his vile cousin get one on him, but as the spell hit him in the chest and sent him flying backwards, he felt his body go cold. He looked over and met eyes with a shocked Harry and a mortified Remus. He could feel himself being pulled away, sliding back into the stone dais as Harry ran to him, Remus close behind. He sent out a silent request for Remus to watch after the boy as the world turned cold and white._

 _For a moment he could see nothing. Slowly but surely the vision of the Hogwarts quidditch pitch fell into view. It was empty, just him sitting in the stands, taking in the field. He felt warm, smiling to himself._

 _"So this is it eh? My heaven is a good old fashioned game of quidditch? I can get behind that."_

 _As if on cue the stands suddenly filled, the shapes of students and professors gliding into their seats, appearing translucent and cloud like before their forms solidified, looking normal. On the pitch, the players swirled into existence, a flash of red and gold dashing past Sirius's eyes._

 _"Damn show off!"_

 _Sirius turned to his right to see a young, oddly slim Peter Pettigrew grinning up at the players._

 _"_ You! _You bastard!"_

 _He made a move to strangle the boy, but his hands went straight through him. Before he could react another voice beside him sounded._

 _"Let him lavish in it a bit! He's earned it!"_

 _Sirius turned to see a young Remus Lupin to his left, also totally enthralled with the match._

 _"Ah. Right. Heaven. Idealized versions of everyone, I suppose" Sirius said aloud to himself, noticing the distinct lack of scars on the werewolf's face._

 _He relaxed, looking around him and noticing how familiar it all felt: the three of them together, watching James tear it up as the Gryffindor Chaser. He watched jealously for a moment, wondering why he wasn't out there on the field before the realization hit him: Lupin with no scars, a skinny Pettigrew, James out on the field- this wasn't just an idealized heaven, this was a specific memory, portrayed just as Sirius remembered it. On that day, the group hadn't yet learned that Remus was a werewolf, so none of them noticed the cursed scars. Sirius held nothing but love in his heart for Pettigrew at the time and he was young, so he didn't notice the bit of pudge that he had._

 _"So that's it then? Are we reliving the greatest hits?"_

 _Sirius looked up at the score board: 250 to 100, Slytherin. He remembered this game distinctly. James was phenomenal for his first game as Chaser, but the Slytherin team was playing dirty. The seeker for Gryffindor was just inches from catching the snitch when James shot out beside him._

 _"He's telling him not to take it," Sirius whispered to himself, "not to let the game go into sudden death. To stall just long enough to let him get one more goal in..."_

 _Right on cue, James pulled up as the seeker dropped his arm, still following the snitch as the Slytherin seeker followed dangerously close behind._

 _"James gets the quaffle..."_

 _Indeed he had, speeding towards the goal hoops at a break neck pace, flipping upside down on his broom to avoid a bludger._

 _"The Slytherin seeker gets a little too close..."_

 _The Slytherin seeker was side by side with the Gryffindor seeker, hand out reaching for the snitch. The Gryffindor seeker cast a fleeting look at James, reaching out toward the snitch himself._

 _"James shoots..."_

 _The stands were roaring. Young Remus was white knuckling the bench. Peter's mouth was hanging open. Sirius's grin grew wide. He repeated the announcer's words as she said them._

 _"GRYFFINDOR WINS! James Potter makes a final goal just milliseconds before Gryffindor takes the snitch! What a play!"_

 _Sirius burst out laughing as the Slytherin's boos filled the stadium. He felt so warm, running down to rush the field with his friends to hug James, forgetting that the vision wasn't real._

 _Suddenly the vision slipped away as he made contact with the boy, leaving only him and the young James in the blackness that surrounded them. Sirius pulled away in shock, taking in the sight of his old friend, an overlarge grin plastered on the boy's face._

 _"Good to see you mate. Been a long time."_

"James!"

 _Sirius leapt forward again, embracing James, thumping him on the back._

 _"You're real? Is it really you mate? James I-"_

 _Sirius cut himself off. There was so much he wanted to say. So much he wanted to apologize for. He didn't know where to begin._

 _"It's alright, Padfoot, you needn't say anything. I've been watching. I know. I couldn't ask for a more loyal man to call my friend."_

 _Sirius sniffed, eyes searching his friend's face. After all that time, to be standing at his side again. It almost made the ache of losing Harry feel better._

 _"Where's Lily, Prongs? Surprised you aren't with her now."_

 _"Hey now, it's your afterlife, not mine!"_

 _Sirius balked at this, brows knitting together._

 _"But you...you aren't?"_

 _"You're asking if I'm the real James. Yes and no: I'm only the aspect of him. But does it matter? I have all his memories, all his love for you- I'm as real as you could ever hope for."_

 _"Does that mean there's an aspect of me hanging around with the real James?"_

 _"I don't doubt it for a second. I'm still a piece of his spirit. His soul. I know he carries a part of yours with him."_

 _Sirius felt quite warm at this admission, head filling with memories of his old friends._

 _"So... so I can call up any memory? Relive it? Is that what this is?"_

 _James smiled, reaching out to take Sirius's hand._

 _"You asked about Lily. Let's find a memory with her, hmm?"_

 _The darkness filled in with visions of the Great Hall, decorated for Christmas. As the images swirled into view Sirius saw, in the bit of black not yet filled in by the memory, a small point of white light far in the distance. James yanked at his arm, pulling his attention from the peculiar light and back to the scene of himself, Sirius, Lily, Remus, and Peter all gathered in the Great Hall after dark._

 _"This was Christmas Eve, Seventh year," Sirius said, grinning._

 _"I remember it like it was yesterday," James laughed, "We left Hogwarts late that year for the winter holiday. Snuck out of the common room with the invisibility cloak."_

 _"That was the first time Lily ever came with us under the cloak."_

 _"Merlin knows how we all fit. Especially with Peter having eaten all that Christmas pudding."_

 _Both boys laughed, watching as Remus summoned a bulb from on eof the trees. He transfigured it, revealing it to be a magically concealed gift,_

 _"Let's see... this one is to Lily from... Padfoot?"_

 _"You could have socked me when you saw it," Sirius chuckled._

 _"Yeah well... gave her a better present than me, didn't you?"_

 _Lily unwrapped the gift, giving Sirius a suspicious look. Within the poorly done wrappings was a painting of Lily, done in the style of the family tree Sirius loathed so much._

 _The adult Sirius took a step back, a younger version of himself stepping through him, looking rather embarrassed as he avoided the gaze of the second aspect of James in the memory._

 _"I know it's a bit odd, but lots of Pureblood families have traditional paintings like that in their homes so... well, I just thought... just... Never forget that no matter how others may view you, you're worth so much Lily. We all want you here, Blood status be damned."_

 _Lily wiped away a tear that had began to fall, grinning at the younger Sirius._

 _"Silly old dog, who knew you could be so sentimental?"_

 _Sirius sat on the floor beside the aspect of James, watching their younger selves tear through gifts. At one point the elves from the kitchen even popped up, offering them treats and pumpkin juice, which they gladly took._

 _"Hadn't a care in the world back then," the elder James cooed, smiling at the vision of themselves._

 _"Yeah... man was it rare to have the four of us together and not driving Lily up a wall. Remember that one time-"_

 _"-when she was pregnant and you and Peter were hellbent on tormenting her?"_

 _"Aha! You knew exactly the moment I was thinking of!"_

 _Again the memory poofed away in a cloud of colored smoke, casting them into the darkness. Sirius turned to the strange pin point of light, swearing he heard a voice calling out from the other side of it. As he started toward the sound, a massive black cloak flew past the entrance, obscuring it for a moment before the new memory fell into place, concealing the light yet again._

 _"How many eggs, again, Lily?"_

 _It was Remus's voice this time that pulled his attention away. They were adults in this memory, fresh out of school. Lily had wanted to bake a cake for her and James's next door neighbor, who was moving away. James was sat on their couch, trying to pull up the quidditch semi-finals on their radio. Peter and the Sirius from the memory sat at the breakfast bar facing the kitchen, watching a few-months-pregnant Lily and a sleepy Remus bake in the kitchen._

 _"Hmm. The recipe calls for four, but that seems like an awful lot. I don't want the cake to be too dense, but I should probably follow the directions..."_

 _"If you whip the eggs really well it'll lighten the batter without altering the recipe."_

 _"Oh is that what you like, Remus? Having your eggs whipped?" The younger Sirius quipped, taking a swig of his beer._

 _"More like what Lily likes," Peter snorted, "and James has done a fine job of it by the size of her already!"_

 _The two young men howled as the elder James and Sirius winced, both still unable to help grinning at the uncouth jokes._

 _"Very funny, you two," Lily sighed, shooting a glare at both of them._

 _"Don't mind them, Lily," Remus interjected, "They'd be lucky to end up with anyone decent, let alone having a child with the way they act. And Peter you've no room to talk about anyone's size. Literally. No room."_

 _"Ha! Who needs a wife when they room with you, Remus? You keep me fattened up with all manner of pies and pastries at home! We may as well be dating!"_

 _Remus's ears went red at this as he greased a baking pan for their cake batter._

 _"You really do have a knack for this sort of thing... kind of makes you wonder..." Lily muttered._

 _"Wonder what, precisely?" Remus asked, stopping to stare at Lily._

 _"Mate, she's asking if you're good at_ making _fairy cakes because you_ are _a fairy cake."_

 _"She what?!"_

 _The elder Sirius cackled at his younger self's gall, watching a fiery haired and fiery eyed Lily turn on him._

 _"I was absolutely NOT asking that, Sirius Black! I was simply wondering where our friend learned his baking skills!"_

 _"Oh! Ah...Yes! My mother. She used to bake a lot. Pies and tarts, mostly, but she made a wonderful birthday cake for me every year. Most of my time with her was spent in the kitchen, actually. Still is. I bake cookies with her for Christmas every year."_

 _With that, Remus put his head down and hastily continued greasing the pans, trying to hide his red face._

 _"I hope my boy is like you, Remus."_

 _Sirius felt his stomach drop. His hands went cold._

 _"I can see it now: Every year for Christmas we'll get up early and bake all sorts of sweets. I hope he loves pumpkin pasties as much as I do. He'd better anyway, I've eaten enough to serve a village since getting pregnant with him."_

 _The memory slid away as the pit in Sirius's stomach yawned. The darkness fell in again, the light in the far distance calling to him again. The black cloak was closer this time, a frail, bony hand peaking from under it as it passed._

 _"Maybe let's pick another memory, huh Padfoot," James called._

 _"Yeah... another memory."_

 _Once again he found himself in the halls of Hogwarts. All the marauders were together, James, Sirius, and Peter all grinning at a confused looking Remus. It was a night before the full moon in their second year. The most important full moon's eve of their lives._

 _"Alright Moony," James said, grinning widely, "we have a few people we'd like you to meet!"_

 _"Ooookay..."_

 _"Introducing!: Messieurs Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs!"_

 _The three boys transformed into their animagi, each slowly starting towards a stunned Remus._

 _"Y...you did it... You all actually did it!"_

 _Sirius watched as they all transformed back, grinning at Remus. It was difficult in those days to hold the transformation, but it was worth it to know that their friend would no longer be forced to face the moon alone._

 _Sirius couldn't pay attention to the scene in front of him for much longer, his mind turning back to Lily and her mention of Harry._

 _"Sirius?"_

 _Sirius didn't hear James's aspect. A gap in the memory appeared, creating an opening for him to walk out into the blackness. He stood in it for a moment before wandering towards the light. He could swear once again that he heard a voice. It was louder this time, sounding like his name. Again a black cloak fluttered past the entrance, followed by a second and a third. Sirius stopped in his tracks. Their was something disturbingly familiar about the cloaks. About this place. Before he could really solidify the thought, a new memory slammed into place. The blackness of the landscape was replaced with the blackness of an unseasonably warm winter's night. Around him, the snow was melting, the sound of glasses clinking in the distance and laughter filled his ears. It was New Years Eve. Sirius had stepped outside to get some air, the Order having decided to throw a party to boost morale in the face of the war effort. It was dangerous for them to all be together in one place, but Dumbledore insisted it was worth the risk to keep everyone going. Behind him, a no-longer pregnant Lily followed. Sighing as she fell in line with him. No apparition of Sirius appeared this time. Instead he took his own place in the memory. He remembered his words distinctly._

 _"Shouldn't you be dancing the night away with James? It's almost midnight, he'll be looking for you."_

 _"I doubt it, considering he's passed out on the couch. Too much whiskey."_

 _They two of them laughed, staring out into the night sky, enjoying the companionable silence._

 _"It's getting worse," Lily sighed at last, shoulders slumping._

 _"I know."_

 _"What do you think will become of us? Do you really see us coming out on top? The Dark Lord...Voldemort... He's more powerful than we could have ever imagined."_

 _"I don't know what's going to happen, Lily. Merlin knows it scares the devil out of me. But we have to fight. What other choice do we have?"_

 _They fell into silence again._

 _"Sometimes I dream of running away. Taking James and Harry and making a run for it. Moving to some uncharted island somewhere and..."_

 _"And what," Sirius chuckled grimly, "waiting until Lord Snakeface gets bored with his regime?"_

 _"I don't know," Lily sighed, "I know it's a silly thought, but it's just that: a thought. All of this makes me miss the old days. Screaming at James to piss off, baking cakes with Remus, playing chess with Peter and-"_

 _She cut herself off. She cast her eyes down at the melting snow before turning to Sirius._

 _"And...seeing you."_

 _"Me?"_

 _Lily's face went red._

 _"Guess I always had a thing for wizards with overblown egos."_

 _Sirius stepped back, allowing a phantom of himself to step into his place as the clock struck midnight. He watched as Lily closed the distance, kissing him. It was a fleeting moment for both of them, a secret Sirius had sworn to take to his grave. He'd always felt something for Lily, as had Remus and Peter. There was something that drew a person to her, Peter viewing her as a motherly figure and Remus seeing her as a very dear friend and kindred spirit since she, too, had muggle family. But with Sirius there was always something more, something that he repressed. He thought he caught the looks, the flirty comments, but he always shoved them aside. She was James's girl. The two of them were made for each other. A belief Lily echoed in that moment._

 _"I'm sorry," she said, pulling away. "I shouldn't have. But I always thought... I always wondered..."_

 _"When?" Sirius asked hoarsely. "When did you know?"_

 _"When you gave me the painting. That was the first time I acknowledged the way I felt. But it was James. It was always James. You have to know that."_

 _"...I do."_

 _"But...in another life..."_

 _The memory slid away, leaving Sirius feeling deeply guilty. That he even considered it to be one of his favorite memories made him feel grimy, but his infatuation with the muggleborn was the first time he'd ever really held a woman truly dear to his heart._

 _"Sirius?"_

 _Sirius jumped, turning to the frowning aspect of James in the darkness._

 _"James! James... I'm so sorry... I didn't want you to know. There was never anything more, just the kiss, I-"_

 _"It's alright mate!"_

 _"What?"_

 _"It's alright!"_

 _James broke out in laughter, his smile spreading uncomfortably wide._

 _"Things happen Padfoot! C'mon! Lets find another memory yeah? What'll it be? More Quidditch? Ooh! Maybe that time we raced Moony while he was a werewolf!"_

 _Sirius backed away, the darkness falling in around him._

 _"No... no, no... You would never forgive that... you'd deck me, you'd yell, something! You wouldn't just drop it, y-"_

 _Sirius tripped over something in the darkness. He looked down to see a large mass of what appeared to be dirt humped under his feet. Above him, one of the black cloaks floated past, leaving behind it a trail of little blue lights, dusting the darkness with them like a bee spreading pollen. Sirius recognized the little lights instantly._

 _Souls._

 _The hump of earth cracked beneath him, a dark, bony hand reaching for a fistful of the souls, pulling them down as the creature crawled out of the dirt, great, black, skeletal, and terrible. Sirius began to sprint towards the calling white light as the ground around him continued to split, more creatures ripping themselves from the earth, pulling souls into their maws._

 _"Sirius!"_

 _Sirius could see what the light led to as he ran forward: the Veil. He was stopped by a great cloaked figure looming towards him, blocking the way. In front of the figure, James appeared, eyes black, still grinning._

 _"You aren't leaving us, are you?"_

 _"_ Dementors! _" Sirius barked. "This place is birthing dementors! What the hell is this?! What are you?!"_

 _James kept grinning._

 _"Very well spotted," he hissed, the voice no longer that of James's. It was hollow and rough, haunting Sirius. "You were my favorite prisoner. So much light inside you. But so much darkness too. I would have enjoyed seeing what you became had I been allowed to perform the kiss."_

 _"You...you're one of them..."_

 _"_ Yessss _."_

 _More dementors appeared, both old ones, floating in their cloaks, and new ones, crawling on the ground, wiry skin and bones contorting._

 _"So what?" Sirius snapped, trying to hide his trembling voice, "this is your dumping ground? This is where you bring the souls and memories you steal to feed your newborns?"_

 _"Essentially," James continued, "no one is meant to fall into the Veil... but when they do, it's always entertaining. I remember the first: a wizard who's lover had been taken by one of mine in the woods. He found the veil after some years and sought to return her soul to her. Poor bastard would have done it, too, but he got so caught up in his memories of her that he forgot about the living version of her. He died here after some time."_

 _"Wait," Sirius breathed, eyes widening. "I... I'm not dead?"_

 _"Not technically... but I know you. You may as well be."_

 _James floated forward, dropping a cold hand on Sirius's shoulder._

 _"I've seen your soul, Sirius Black. A part of you died when you failed to protect your friends. Another when you lost the girl you secretly loved. Another when your other friend betrayed you. Another when you left your remaining friend behind. And another and another and another for every year you spent rotting in Azkaban. What do you really have to go back to on the surface world?"_

 _Sirius looked past the demented James to peer through the opening of the veil._

 _"Harry..."_

 _"The boy?! Ha! He doesn't need you. He never did. He took on the Dark Lord twice before knowing you, and even know he holds his own against his forces. You know it. You've seen it."_

 _Sirius felt himself go cold. He was right. Harry, for all of his self doubt, was brilliant. He could end the second wizarding war. He would end it. Sirius could offer advice and guidance, but in the end, Remus was out there, far more wise and responsible than he._

 _"That's it," James hissed, "let him go. Why go back to hiding and scraping and clawing your way through life? Stay. Live in the memories, here, where you won't age or feel pain. Be with your friends. Be happy."_

 _Sirius cast one last longing glance at the entrance of the veil before he turned away, walking through his old memories._

xXxXx

"I got out eventually," Sirius sighed, avoiding the gaze of Tonks and Remus. "Had a change of heart. I started picking memories that held long paths: walks along the lake with exes, running through Platform 9 3/4 to catch the train-Without them realizing it I was edging closer and closer to the Veil. By the time they realized what I was doing, it was too late. Hell of a fight though. I would have given up but... I thought of you all. Of wanting to see you two together, of wanting to see Harry have a real family. I didn't think I had it in me to cast a patronus like that...I got away, joined the fight as soon as I could... but it hasn't been enough. I should have left the moment I figured out I could."

"But you did come back to us," Tonks whispered, squeezing his arm. "Maybe not immediately, but you came back."

"But how much sooner could I have returned? Days? Months? Hell, a couple years? How much less time would you two have had to mourn me? How much time was wasted that could have been spent helping Harry?! All because I wanted walk down _fucking memory lane_!"

Sirius's shout rang out through the room. He pressed the heel of his palms into his eyes, elbows settled on his knees. For a moment the trickling of the fountain was the only sound in the room.

"Do you hate me, Sirius?"

"What?"

It was Remus that spoke, tears welling in the eyes of the old wolf.

"Do you hate me? Or maybe you Tonks? After all, I ran too. I ran from the reality that you were gone. Ran from the reality that I loved your cousin. But I came back. It took time, but I came back. So either you both hate me, or Sirius, you have to accept that we forgive you the same way you all forgive me."

Sirius smiled a sad smile at the marauder.

"You're kindness really knows no bounds, Moony. I don't deserve you."

"I hardly feel that I deserve you, Padfoot."

"Alright! Group hug!"

The two men groaned as Tonks squeezed them as hard as she possibly could, one arm on either man like a vice, forcing laughter from them both.

Suddenly there was a noise from behind one of bookcases. The three of them looked up to see a pale, unnaturally slim Noctua shuffle forward, wringing her hands.

"Noctua!"

Tonks leapt from the fountain, rushing the witch. Noctua turned away, cringing, waiting for a hex to hit her and finding herself in shock when she instead found herself being hugged by the once again pink-hared Auror.

"We were so worried about you! We thought you left! You've been here the whole time?!"

"No wonder we couldn't see her on the map," Sirius said, walking towards her as well, albeit more cautiously.

"You... you aren't mad?" Noctua whispered, looking into the face of a misty eyed Tonks. "Tonks, I _hexed_ you. Cast curses on you. You should hate me."

"You were scared, Nox," Tonk said, stepping back to wipe away her tears. "I can't say I wouldn't have reacted the same way in the face of that kind of trauma. In fact, I did. I've been awful the last few weeks, you have no idea. Fear brings out the worst in us."

"That it does," Sirius sighed. He held a Noctua's gaze, a hundred questions passing between them. Finally Noctua relented.

"Sirius, I'm so sorry. I'm so, _so_ sorry. I-"

"Not another word."

Sirius rushed her, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. Noctua went limp in his arms, letting her tears fall free.

"It's alright, Nox"

She pulled back and looked at the three of them, gathering her courage.

"I can't do this any longer, Howl. I'm tired of running. Tired of hiding. I want to fight, but I can't do this alone. I need help."

"You don't have to face this alone," Remus replied. "If you think for a moment I'd miss a chance to put that wolfish bastard in the ground, you're mad. Especially when he's hurt a friend. And my girlfriend."

Noctua nodded, walking over to the fountain's edge and taking a seat.

"Okay... but if we're going to do this... you need to know the truth. I'm ready to talk about what happened to me. My upbringing."

The each sat beside her, Sirius holding her against him.

"We'll start at the beginning," Noctua began, swallowing hard. "When they ransacked the orphanage...when they killed a town of muggles just to get to me."


	6. The Gaunt Girl

Grimness was a tiny town in South Ronaldsay in the Orkney Islands. Though it's name would lead one to believe otherwise, it was a cheerful little village of less than a thousand people, all weaving their own stories and lives amid the backdrop of the sea and tiny cottages the British township boasted. One such cottage housed an Orphanage, "Mercy on the Hill", so named for it's location on a hill overlooking the sea. There, small school age children could be seen running about, not a care in the world aside from when bath-time would be and if they'd soon find parents. The latter matter didn't seem to phase most of the children. As far as they were concerned, the many nurses and maids running the orphanage served as parents enough, and they'd made a family themselves. One child, however, garnered a lot of attention from the care takers.

She'd been sent back and forth between the island and hospitals at Inverness on the mainland a number of times, the list of procedures performed on her going on and on in a dizzying laundry list that would make most medical professionals nauseous. She was a brave girl though, at only four years of age, she had a determination in her to live and live fully that inspired the orphanage staff. When she came to them, she had no name, leaving the staff to choose a name for her. They decided on Nona Mercy Hill, after the short name for the hospital and the medical code in their records for a child with no name: No/Na.

The children treated Nona surprisingly well considering how different she clearly was. She walked rather duck-legged, bowed legs making it difficult to walk straight. Her arms bent at odd angles while at rest, giving her a rather daunting appearance alongide the many scars she bore all over her body, the worst of which being the angry-red scar that ran from her lip to her nose. Despite the grotesque disfigurement, it wasn't difficult to see the pretty little girl beneath the scars. Her close-lipped smile and bright eyes could practically dry the rain, and in fact, in one case it had.

Many of the Nurses at Mercy on the Hill had noticed the tendency for strange little 'happy incidences' around Nona. Where two children would fight over a toy, Nona would appear and suddenly there would be two of the same toy. They'd once had an issue with the heating system one particularly cold winter, and Nona had but to stand in front of the radiators for them to mysteriously begin working. It was easy to brush most things off as coincidence- perhaps a staffer knew that a toy was popular and bought a second, maybe the radiators were just a fluke, but the day it began to rain during what was supposed to be a picnic for the orphans that had been planned for months was hard to explain.

All the children were deeply upset at the loss of their planned outing— all but Nona, who simply replied that the rain would likely clear soon. To all the children, this seemed plausible, but the adults knew better. When it rained in Grimness, it poured. And once the monsoon began it would take days to end, and weeks yet for the muddy little village to dry. But the moment Nona declared the rain would dissipate it actually did so. The rain stopped abruptly, the clouds parted, and the grass returned to its natural matte green, lacking any hint of being wet. Before the nurses could protest the children set about running into the fields, placing their picnic blankets and demanding that the feast begin.

The Nurses never knew what to make of these incidences, deciding the child must have simply been blessed by the good lord and not pushing the issue further.

The busiest days at Mercy on the Hill, however, occurred on the third Friday of each month. On this day, hopeful mothers and fathers to be poured into the orphanage from all over South Ronaldsay and the mainland, hoping to make a connection with a child and bring them home. Some of the villagers of Grimness detested this display, feeling that the children were being treated more like puppies up for adoption that human babies in need of loving homes. Nevertheless, the children were dressed in the best clothes they owned, hair tidied, scrubbed squeaky clean, and sat in a large "observing room" where the prospective parents watched through a one way mirror.

It was on this day that Nona always felt the loneliest and where how different she was was made plain for everyone to see. One by one, the children would get requests to meet potential new families. The adults would choose a child they found interesting, and off they went to a private room to introduce themselves and see if there was a connection. If there was none, the child was sent back to the observing room. If there was, adoption papers were quickly drawn up, and the child was never seen again by their housemates after they left the observatory room. Because of this, each time a child was called out of the room there was typically a delay during which the rest of the children would hug the leaving child and give them well wishes should they be chosen.

Nona, however, was never chosen. It hurt her heart to watch her new found friends go over the months, but it hurt more that there wasn't even a single adopter willing to even meet her. On several occasions, when saying goodbye to child headed to a private meeting, she heard parents gasp audibly at the sight of her. Once, Nona caught a quiet whisper of "look at that little demon!" from an adopter as the door opened. Rather mysteriously, the one way mirror shattered not long after.

It wasn't long before Nona took to sitting under a table in the obervation room, wrapped in a blanket where no one could see her, a picture book in hand. Though she could read better than most at her tender age, the little book depicting groups of animals playing together always made her feel better. Her favorite page was the last one, where a wolf, a flamingo, a snake, and a lion all sat curled together as a little family of misfits. For whatever reason, the little mismatched gathering gave Nona hope that she, too, would find people out there as 'different' as her, and that maybe they'd ask her to be family.

Four years passed like this. On the third Friday of the month, all the children were gathered and cleaned and, though she'd be scolded for it later, Nona hid under the table with a stack of books. The little picture book was always close by, opened to the last page. On that fateful day, Nona had been nodding off when she heard the sound she'd been desperately waiting for. The sound of the door creaking open and a cheerful cry of "Nona?".

She looked up in disbelief. As she stood, the children backed away from her. At 8 years of age, Nona wasn't the oldest child in the orphanage, but she had been there the longest. The children had come to believe she was never to be adopted. No one hugged her or wished her luck as she slowly walked toward the door. As the nurse closed it behind her, Nona looked up at the adopter wishing to meet her.

Nona felt a chill go down her spine. The man was incredibly tall, but his shoulders hunched over slightly, giving him a look of permanent leering. His boots were so worn and caked with mud that they'd turned an ashen brown rather than their original black. He wore a long black trench coat that hung from him like a cloak, clearly a size too large for him. To top it all off he wore a sort of fedora which concealed much of his face, excluding his patchy dark stubble and scarred, lopsided mouth.

The nurse seemed nervous as she guided the two to a private room, looking rather dubious as she bid them a good visit and closed the door. Nona stared at the nurse desperately through the door's screened window, but the nurse simply smiled back encouragingly. The man made an odd movement with something concealed in his hand, mumbling to himself, and suddenly the window went black, and the room seemed oddly quiet.

"You...like snakes?"

The question made Nona jump. Something about the man's voice was incredibly wrong to her. It was mid-toned but hollow, and seemed to rattle and echo in the back of his throat as he spoke. It was less the voice of a young man, and more that of a sickly man with ordinarily deeper tones. She stared at him for a moment, unable to answer his question or understand it, until he brought up his hand, pointing at the book she didn't realize she was holding. She's read it a dozen times: a coffee table book on classifications of snakes. Not knowing what else to do, and too scared to speak, she simply nodded, holding out the book to the odd man.

He didn't take the book, but instead raised his hand to it again, this time with the object. Nona recognized it as a smooth piece of long, pale wood, with an odd, sharp bend about an inch from the end, the end itself carved to a menacing point. With this wand he touched the image of the viper on the page, mumbling something unintelligible. Instantly, the snake came to life, wriggling off the page toward the man, causing Nona to scream and drop the book. The man seemed unphased, a large grin creeping across his face.

"Tell me, is she the one?"

The snake turned slowly to Nona, who'd backed herself into the corner.

"Can you hear me?" The snake hissed at her.

Frightfully, Nona nodded. At this the man let out a gleeful cackle , scooping up the snake and bringing it just inches from a cowering Nona's face.

"Do you know what this is? What you're saying?" He asked in an excited his, smile growing wider, his face seeming like it would come apart at the scarred seams.

Nona shook her head.

"Has something like this ever happened to you before? Something you couldn't explain? Something odd? Something...magical?"

Slowly Nona's shoulders relaxed as she thought of all the odd little incidences that seemed to occur around her. Things began to click into place.

"Am I...am I different?"

The man nodded.

"Are...are you different too, then?"

Again, he nodded, grin growing ever wider.

"Are there other people like us?"

"Oh my dear. My sweet, sweet girl..."

The man set the snake on the ground and removed his hat. Beneath it, the upper half of his face was equally scared, one dark eye holding a white cast and lolling in it's socket, the other staring intensely at Nona.

"Hundreds. Thousands. Millions. And you're meant to rule them all! You're a like princess in our world my dear. What we call Pure of Blood. And our world needs you dearly. But you can't possibly be trained up living here. Come with me. Come let me show you our world and your subjects."

"A princess? Pureblood? Are you-"

But as Nona spoke she looked back at the snake, still slinking on the ground, that had just been born from a book. Clearly there had to be some truth to what the man said.

"Are...are you going to adopt me?"

As she said it, it was as if the world had been taken off pause. The snake disappeared, the window cleared, and the man stood, placing his hat back on his head as the nurse walked into the room.

"And how are things going in here?"

"Perfect! I'll take her!"

"Err...take her?"

"Adopt her! Make her mine! Whatever it is! Just give me the papers to sign!"

"Oh! Of course! If you'll just get your wife to come down to the orphanage, you can be on your way!"

"Wife?"

Whereas a moment before the man spoke in rushed but excited tones, he now seemed angry.

"Um, yes sir, your wife? We here at Mercy on the Hill, Home for Impoverished and Displaced Youth prefer to adopt out our children strictly to...um, traditional homes, you understand?"

"I see...very well. My...wife... was quite ill this morning. She sent me away for a child regardless. I'll simply have to return with her again next month."

"Certainly! We hope to see you!"

The nurse whiskey Nona away as fast as her legs could carry her and returned her to the observation room, vowing that something was off about the man and that no child of Mercy Hill's would be going home with him or anyone affiliated with him. As Nona walked back into the observation room, unadopted, the other children averted their eyes. Nona crawled back under the table that gave her comfort for years and sobbed.

In the weeks that followed Nona didn't know what to believe. Was the man real? Did the snake really come out of the book? Was she really some sort of magical princess meant to rule over other people like her? The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed, and because none of the other children would discuss the failed adoption for fear of upsetting her, it just felt that much more imagined. Nona had resigned herself to live in the orphanage forever until the night before the next adoption day. As she climbed into her bunk she heard a quiet whisper of "don't scream."

She lay stiff as a board as a small snake wound its way up her top bunk before resting beside her ear.

"I've a message for you. We are coming. Time to join our world."

Nona's heart thumped in her chest. She couldn't believe. She didn't want to believe.

"Is it him? Is it that man in the coat and hat?"

"Yes."

As the snake slithered away, Nona's heart sped on, tears welling in her eyes. It hadn't been imagined. She really did meet the strange man. She was going to have a family.

The next day all was very quiet. For several hours not a single person came to see the children. As the hours sped on, Nona began to lose hope. Perhaps she had imagined everything? Perhaps after being left alone for so long, she was beginning to lose her mind? But as the clock ticked down the final minutes of adoption day, there was a great commotion in the hall.

"What on EARTH is all this?!"

"I told you my wife and I would be back!"

Curiosity peaked, one of the more poorly behaved children cracked open the door to the observation room. The children gathered around the open door, shoving each other as the tried to get a better view, eventually knocking one of the kids into the door, making it fling open.

Outside the door in the hall, the nurses stood in a defensive line, staring in disbelief at a gathering of roughly 50 people crammed into the tiny corridor, holding balloons and signs with "welcome home!" splashed across the front. Leading the pack was the man in the trench coat, hand gripping the hand of a petite blonde woman who looked rather dazed.

"Mrs. Catchwater? What are you doing here? Who is this man? Where is your husband? What's going on?"

The overlarge grin the man was sporting dropped at an instant. At once, he flung the dreary-eyed Mrs. Catchwater to the floor, where she lay prone, unmoving.

"Of course," He snarled, "Small town and all that. You would all know each other, wouldn't you? Well I suppose we'll do this the hard way then."

He rose his wand, pointing at a child over the nurse's shoulder.

"Give me the girl."

"No! Call the authorities! Who do you think y-"

There was a flash of green, and the little boy behind the nurse fell to the floor, eyes open but unseeing. The rest of the children began to scream and cry in confusion and terror.

"Give me the girl. I won't ask again."

The man made a move toward the door, but the nurse flung her arms open, standing in the way of the door, shaking her head.

"You will NOT harm another child! I won't allow it."

The large gathering behind the man in the trench coat all began to chuckle in an eerie unison.

"On the contrary," the man hissed, "I think I'm going to harm all of them."

Behind him, several more people raised wands.

Flashes of green light flooded the corridor. Nona stood, mouth agape as the nurses she'd known her whole life and the children she'd considered family fell one by one, their faces frozen in terror as the life was blasted out of them. Once they all lay dead, the strange man turned his wand on her, a sick grin curling across his face.

"You'll learn," he hissed, "that people like them, muggles and mudbloods, are all expendable. People like us have the power to take what we want. Oh, and we certainly will."

"I don't want to be like you! Fix them! Put them back like they w- AGH!"

Nona raised a hand to her burning cheek where the man had just slapped her, tears flooding her eyes.

"Silence, you silly girl! Look at them! Do you really think they cared about you? They left you all this time, alone, unchosen, and didn't even have the decency to give you a proper name!"

The man shoved old, rumpled papers into Nona's hands. They were the original record of her receipt by the orphanage, the code "No/Na" for a nameless child circled in red ink with "Mercy Hill" scribbled hastily underneath, as if by a careless hand.

"These people didn't want you. Never encouraged a family to take you, did they? Never fixed you up properly either. Now you have us. And many more. Or would you rather stay?"

Nona stared into the papers disbelievingly, and then down at the pile of dead caretakers at her feet.

"Come with me, child. Or would you rather stay in this hovel and never know what you're capable of?"

Nona paused for a long moment before slowly reaching out and taking the man's hand.

"Good. Now let's be off, shall we?"

Before she could realize what was happening she felt herself being tugged away from what felt like the fabric of reality itself. Darkness swirled around her for several gut wrenching moments before she found herself in a dimly lit room somewhere that must have been far from Grimness.

"Wilmerta?"

"Of course."

Nona scarcely had a moment to take in the room: dark with only a shabby bed squeezed into a corner by a window looking out into a forest before she was lifted involuntary onto said bed by a hag-like woman approaching her fifties. Conjured seemingly out of no where, ropes wound around her arms and legs, no sound coming from her mouth as she tried to scream.

"How bad is it?" The man rasped.

Warm light poored over Nona as the hag-woman scanned her body with a strange wooden instrument of her own.

"Bad. It'll take weeks to put this undo this muggle-medicine and get her in working order."

"I haven't got weeks, Wilmerta. She's eight with no knowledge of the wizarding world or magic, and we've much to do."

The man stood unnervingly close to Wilmerta as he spat the words out, twisted face growing darker with every syllable.

"Well...it's risky...but..."

"But?"

"Removing all her bones save the most vital ones and regrowing them could speed up the process. The rest can be reset. I can fix most of the scarring too, but the worst of it she'll have to learn how to camouflage-"

"How. Long. Wilmerta."

"...Three days. Give me three days and I can get her in fighting shape."

"Don't disappoint me."

Wilmerta seemed to relax some as the man left the room. She took little time rounding on Nona, wand raised.

"I do apologize for what you're about to endure, but his will must be done. Someday you'll even thank me for it."

With one wave of a wand Nona felt herself in blinding, panic inducing pain. Three days seemed a lifetime as she endured bones neing regrown, broken and reset, as well as the worst of her scarring being burned away by strange magic. The strange man seldom visited her over those three days save to check on her progress and urge Wilmerta to work faster. When the final day of her treatment came she was bathed and given a simple, short velvet dress to wear before being presented to the man.

"And now she finally bears a vision fitting of her true name. That would be Gaunt, so you know. It's the only name that matters and the only name you'll ever need."

Before Nona could consider the revelation of knowing the name of her birth family, a floor length mirror was brought before her. She marveled at the vision of herself:

She was paler now than she had ever been. Awkward bowed legs were turned straight and slender, a stark white jutting out from under the collared black dress. Her arms, too were straightened, and the scars that once marred her body were nearly invisible. It was plain to everyone now that she bore a pretty face, though the scar above her lip had been left virtually untouched-too difficult to remove without risking damaging her mouth according to Wilmerta.

"She's a young girl, Forneus, she needs a name," Wilmerta muttered, averting her gaze from the twisted man's face.

"Gaunt is name enough!" Forneus barked, stalking towards a cowering Wilmerta.

"But fine. Let us return one of the names granted by that accursed orphanage. You'll be Gaunt, here, if you're anything at all. But should we have need to call you something out in the world, let us call you Mercy. You're to show enemies of our kind none."

Nona, now deemed Mercy, slowly raised her eyes to Forneus.

"And...what am I to call you. Father?"

Forneus let out a bark of a laugh.

"I'm no father to you, girl. I'm the lord of this order. Master, your lordship, and Sir shall do fine. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good. We'll begin your training easy then. Wilmerta, you'll care for the girl, you've done well enough thus far. Teach her what we are and keep the others in line while I'm away."

"Y-you're leaving?"

"Yes. I have a number of matters to take care of before I can oversee her...education. More importantly I need to pay Gregorovich a visit. She'll be needing a wand."

Forneus turned on his heel and disappeared with a pop, leaving Mercy and Wilmerta alone in the dark house.

/

"I told you before they didn't give me a name," Noctua sighed, wringing her hands and avoiding Sirius's eyes. "It's only technically true. 'Mercy' was still a name the orphanage gave me. Forneus, nor any of his disciples ever used it, save Wilmerta. It wasn't until they sent me to Hogwarts that anyone ever called me that."

"Forneus... it's not a name I've ever heard. Who was he?" Sirius asked.

Noctua shrugged.

"A very powerful, very dark wizard. I don't know anything outside of that. I suspect no one knows who he really is outside of his innermost circle. On few occasions he brought me with him to... run errands... he took great care to conceal himself or obliviate those he interacted with. If the bastard didn't outright kill them."

"What was all his talk of 'training' you?" Tonks questioned, resting a hand comfortingly on Noctua's thigh.

"Forneus knew I was a Gaunt. I don't know how, but he knew. He meant what he told me at the orphanage: he viewed me as some "dark princess" destined to rule over the Wizarding World. He fantasized about a world with a set hierarchy— pureblood families as a ruling class with everyone else filtering into a caste system beneath us. I don't think he even imagined muggles as servants or slaves, either. I believe his end goal would have been genocide of those he deemed 'unworthy'. He needed me to fulfill his vision, and that meant being fully knowledgeable in the dark arts. I spent my first few months away from the orphanage tucked in my room with Wilmerta, pouring over Pureblood family trees and books on the history of magic. My knuckles are still stiff some mornings from her whapping me with her damned wand when I forgot the name of some obscure wizard, or the year Hogwarts opened. Some of the tomes I read through contained families long forgotten and spells abandoned years ago. I remember it all, but I refused to use most of that knowledge after I escaped.

"What about the others? You said Forneus had disciples, and clearly Greyback was working with him before joining Voldemort. Why hasn't anyone heard of him?"

"It's as I said," Noctua sighed in answer to Tonks, "Forneus valued secrecy above all else. He saw how far a publicized movement went for Grindelwald, and he believed Voldemort's quest was about to end the same way. He wanted to hide in the shadows and let his wrongdoings be attributed to his followers and not him. It's the reason why he employed so many werewolves— there was already so much prejudice against them in the Wizarding World. No one would have considered a death here or a disappearance there to be a part of some greater conspiracy if it could be blamed on the wolves. They just brushed it off as typical violence. Forneus was able to hide in their shadow while he made moves."

"And what was he doing?" Sirius asked.

"Searching for people to fill his hierarchy. He had records of old Pureblood families and was tracing their lineage to find living members. The way he saw it, if they were forgotten, they were likely destitute. It wouldn't be hard to convince them to join his cause if it meant returning power to them and restoring the family name."

"Hence, why he sought you out," Sirius finished.

Noctua swallowed thickly and nodded.

"Of all the families on his list, the Gaunts would have been the highest in name. If Voldemort failed, which he did of course, I would take his place as the Dark Mistress overseeing all magical people and creatures."

"Forneus was mad, then."

"He was. And I wish I could say I didn't want to be a part of his plan from day one, but I'd be lying to myself. I saw the horrors of the future he desired when he murdered every muggle in that orphanage, but then...He fixed me. And all at once I was being educated on a world I couldn't have imagined in my wildest dreams. All the talk of magical schools in castles and families with the respect of the whole of Britain and beyond— I wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to help him. But bit by bit he reminded me of how cruel he could be. It took time but I began to truly resent him. But by the time I realized I needed to run, it was too late."

"What did they do? What made you realize how grim it all was?"

Noctua stared into the fountain's respite, the water churning, just as unsettled as her mind as she reached back through her memories.

/

Mercy had had her wand for three months now. 14 inches of ornately carved black oak, with a hellebore petal core. Though Forneus had no use for its description when he retrieved it from Grindelwald, even he recognized its unique nature. "As romantic as it was deadly, in the right hands", the wandmaker had said.

Though it resulted in quite the scolding from Wilmerta every time, Mercy casted with it near constantly. She seldom used actual spells, but she cast sparks and soft light whenever she could, in awe of the magic she produced.

She'd been given more freedom as well, allowed to roam the ramshackle house in the countryside of some undisclosed wilds of Britain, often finding herself hiding away in the home's ill-kept garden. Many people lived around the property, sleeping in tents and gathered around campfires at night, whispering Merlin-knows-what to each other and howling with laughter late into the evening.

Wilmerta told Mercy these were the werewolves gathered by Forneus to aid him in his cause to "set the world right."

"Ornery bunch they are," Wilmerta snorted, "but that may change with you around."

"With me? Why would I change how they behave?"

Wilmerta groaned, cloudy eyes rolling back in her head.

"Don't you pay attention to anything during our lessons, girl? You're a Gaunt! But you've also got Rosier blood in you, yet. And the Rosiers of old?"

"Had a strong connection to werewolves?"

"Now she remembers. Yes. You'll need to re-read those old books from the Rosier coven. Forneus wants you to use that connect to help tame that bunch. They're a bloody mess on a good day, but during the full moon? There's no controlling those animals. Been ruining the errands Forneus has been out on, that lot has."

And so Mercy took to sitting with the wolves in the late evening, listening to their tales of turning young children and stealing goods from the town nearby. To their credit they did their best to keep conversations tame around the young girl, but every now and then some baudy joke or another slipped through. Mercy's favorite of the bunch was a young lad of around 17, who took to stealing bits of chocolate for her whenever he could. Unbeknownst to her, he wouldn't be with the group long, destined to die on a run gone bad with Forneus.

The worst of them all was their leader. A great hulking man who looked part beast even when the moon wasn't full, Fenrir Greyback absolutely terrified the girl. More than once she caught him staring at her, eyes usually drifting to wherever her skin was bare. She made a point to tug her dress over her legs whenever she joined the camps at night.

When she wasn't sitting and listening to the wolves stories, she was training with them, learning how to use the abilities gifted to the Rosier coven. She learned quickly how to calm the group when friendly spats turned violent, and how to comfort newly turned werewolves in their first days. The first full moon of her training left her scrapped and scarred, but she had successfully managed to bind one of the youngest wolves mind to Wilmerta. This earned her quite a bit of praise.

"Forneus will be elated when he finds out," Wilmerta said the morning after, cleaning the girl's wounds. "You're progressing faster than we expected."

To her shock, Forneus was proud of the girl, bringing her a gift she'd have never expected: a dog. More than likely it was a mutt he found out on his mysterious adventures, but he presented it to her like a thoroughbred straight from a breeder. After Mercy lavished the dog with plenty of love and pats, he cleared his throat, getting her attention.

"It's time I take over your training. You're getting good but this was only the basics. Now it's time you learn the ropes."

The next morning Wilmerta scrubbed her from head to toe and placed her back in her newly cleaned dress. She joined Forneus in the shack's large fire place, spinning away in a haze of flame and floo powder.

When they reappeared they were in a bustling business district, witches and wizards of all walks of life plugging away at their errands, paying them no mind. Mercy was in awe of all the shops and all the people with magical abilities gathered in one place, eagerly taking it all in.

"Diagon Alley," Forneus rumbled, sounding rather unimpressed. "All magic people do their shopping here. Even the mudbloods. That will change with us, some day."

Mercy followed him down the busy street, grinning at all the storefronts and waving at people as they passed. They swept into an empty store at the end of the alley, a tiny boutique of clothing and candies.

"Good afternoon! May I help you?"

"You may. Pick out anything you like."

Mercy stared up at him, mouth agape. The whole of the place was littered in expensive dressed and chocolates, the stuff of any young girl's dreams. She approached a set of pale green dressrobes at the front of the store, marveling at the soft fabric, feeling rather poorly by comparison in her shabby black dress.

"I like this one."

"That's fifty galleons," the shopkeep sighed, shooting Forneus a look that clearly said she didn't believe he could afford it.

Forneus pulled Mercy to the back of the store, the shopkeep satisfied, believing he was about to shoot the girl down in private as so many other parents often had to in her pricey store.

"We don't have fifty galleons," Forneus began, "but people like us don't need money, eh? We take what we want. There are spells we know that allow it. Watch."

Forneus raised a wand at the witch behind the counter who was paying no attention.

" _Imperio_!"

The woman dropped the magazine she'd been reading at once, turning back to the pair with the same dreamy eyes Mrs. Catchwater had had all that time ago in the orphanage.

"On second thought," the woman said in a stilted, distant voice, "you can take it. You can have anything in the store you'd like, dear girl."

Mercy stood shocked as the woman swept up the green dressrobes, beginning to carefully wrap them for her.

"The Imperius Curse," Forneus continued, considering another set of robes for Mercy and snapping his fingers for the woman to package them. "One of three 'illegal' curses. It'll make anyone do whatever you'd like, and they won't remember any of it. So tell me, girl, what else would you like? The store is yours."

Mercy hesitated at first, but the allure of all the pretty clothes silenced any protests she had. It ended up being a wonderful afternoon, Forneus actually laughing along with her and seeming more like a father as she tried things on and they opened candy, eating it on the spot. They took turns placing the Imperius Curse on the shopkeep, Forneus being sure that they spell didn't wear off when the inexperienced witch cast it. By the time they left the store was in ruins, but Mercy didn't care. It was the most fun she'd had in ages.

Days spun on after the visit to Diagon Alley, and Mercy had a new dress to put on each morning. She hadn't given a single thought to the fact that she'd used an illegal spell to get them: Forneus knew more about the magic world than she did. If everything was ripe for the taking, what was there to question? Weeks went by without another trip out with Forneus, then months, but she didn't care. She took to her lessons with Wilmerta with more excitement than ever before, desperate to learn more spells, hungry to know more of the Wizarding World. At night she ran around the campfires with her dog in tow, joining the laughter and madness of the wolves, running through the trees with reckless abandon. It wasn't until Forneus returned with another lesson that she sobered.

"I regret my long absence, but it's been busy. I hear I missed your ninth birthday? A pity. But no matter, I've a gift. Are you ready to learn another spell?"

Mercy practically leapt out of her desk chair when he returned, following him deep into the woods with her dog beside her.

"Ever come up with a name for that thing?" Forneus grunted.

"Wilmerta calls him Mange. I don't like it but it stuck, huh boy?" Mercy said, patting the dog on the head.

"And is he loyal?"

"Yes, sir."

"He may not be after this. Come here." Forneus stood behind Mercy, holding her arm up, wand leveled at the dog.

"There comes a time when you need something from people and Imperio isn't enough. Sometimes you have to bring people to their knees. To put them down like a dog."

Mercy winced at the way he spat out the word, frowning as Mange began to whine.

"I want you to think about whatever makes you angry. Whatever makes you hate. Let it fill you. Let it consume you. And when you can't contain it any longer, cast 'crucio'. Begin."

Mercy couldn't think of anything at first. Then thought of the adopters at Mercy Hill. How they gawked at her. Leered at her. Called an innocent child names. Hot tears started to well in her eyes until the vision if Mange before her grew blurry. Soon, she saw the faces of the parents who treated her as less than a person instead. Anger boiled within her threatening to burst.

" _Crucio_!"

She snapped out of her trance instantly as Mange began to cry and contort, barking and howling in pain. She raced over to him, but he backed away, loving eyes now welled with fear.

"That was awful! Why would you tell me to do that?!"

"Because you need to LEARN girl! Not everything is sunshine and fairytales! We are at war! There are plenty of innocent faces willing to do the same to you. Will you defend yourself or tuck tail and run?"

Mercy turned back to Mange, but he was already gone, running as fast as his legs would carry him. He never returned, and whenever she thought of the dog she felt the same hatred she used to harm him toward Forneus.

Time marched on in a sickeningly slow pace from then on. Her demeanor grew cold, but she continued her lessons, obeyed Forneus and Wilmerta's every word, learned and practiced dark magic until it came to her as easy as breathing. She joined Forneus and the wolves on their raids on villages, watching with cool indifference as men and women were torn to shreds and their children ripped from their arms, turned into werewolves. The year passed on in a slow haze, Mercy feeling less like a person and more like a tool: a razor brought to a razor sharp edge. Her pretty face grew harder with each passing day, and soon people became numbers to her. She didn't even cry when the boy who'd given her chocolates died on a raid gone sour. She stared down into his unseeing eyes with disgust and walked over his corpse.

Forneus was delighted with the change, gleeful that his future leader of the Wizarding World was emerging from within the sheltered girl he once knew. It was then that he decided she was ready. He stood her behind an unaware Wilmerta, the old woman doubled over the sink, washing dishes. He crouched down to Mercy's level, whispering in her ear.

"Wilmerta has been a noble ally to me, but I find she's no longer useful. It's time we say goodbye to the old woman. I trust you know what to do."

Mercy leveled her wand with Wilmerta's back, a single tear sliding down her cheek as the flash of green filled the kitchen.

/

"Wilmerta was awful, but she cared for me. She was the closest thing I had to a mother aside from the nurses at the orphanage," Noctua whispered, wiping tears from her cheeks. "Killing her finally woke me up. I'd become a monster. It was then that I knew I wanted nothing to do with Forneus's plans. But I was trapped. Killing her under his orders proved that anyone and everyone was dispensable to him, even me. I had to run, but I didn't know how to get away. But then I had my out: I turned eleven and they sent me away to Hogwarts. I thought maybe I could survive the summers with him if it meant spending the rest of the year away. And then by the time I graduated I'd have a solid plan of escape. Sadly, Forneus had other plans."

/

The prospect of attending Hogwarts reawakened something in Mercy. Finally getting away from Forneus and his hive of wolves to learn magic properly around students whom were likely not murders excited the girl. What was more, it meant an escape from her newly burgeoning problem.

Greyback had been a constant terror over the years. Always looming. Always lurking. Wilmerta seemed to scare him off from his undue attentions toward Mercy, but with the old woman gone, he grew bolder. It wasn't abnormal for Mercy to catch him just outside the door as she left the bathroom after a shower, or otherwise hovering near her ramshackle room while she dressed. Often at night while she sat amongst the wolves' campfires he'd make some passing comment about how she was 'taking a womanly shape' or how she'd make a wonderful werewolf herself. He was careful never to make these comments around Forneus, but still every eerie compliment would make Mercy stiffen in fear. The worst were the nights when Forneus was away and Greyback was left behind. Though she'dbe careful to lock her door she would wake in the middle of the night to him watching her sleep. Several nights she pretended to stay asleep as he climbed on top of her, hot, foul breath washing over her face. Some nights she couldn't pretend, waking up from a nightmare to find him on top of her, whispering about his plans to make her his, to turn her.

Mercy saw some of the wolves as family, having grown close to them over the years, even in her stony state. That love ended at the line of becoming one of them. Though she may have admired their strength, the curse of lycanthropy was still just that- a curse. She began pouring over books and tomes about werewolves— becoming one. Controlling them. Killing them. Anything that might help her get Greyback safely away from her. Finally she found what she believed to be the answer in a book on shapeshifters: becoming an animagus. Perhaps, Mercy thought, if she could take on the aspect of a wolf in a different way, Greyback would be satisfied. It may be just enough to stop the threats of turning her. And so, in every private moment she had, she worked on transfiguring herself, shifting painfully into the tiny, white-coated wolf. When she had successfully learned to hold the transformation, she asked for Greyback to meet her alone, deep in the woods surrounding their shack and camp. She wasn't foolish enough to let Forneus know about her newfound ability, fearing she may one day need it in her plot to escape for good.

"What is this about, cub?" Greyback asked once they were truly alone. Mercy tried to ignore the way his eyes danced with excitement, clearly imagining her asking him to meet alone meant more than it did.

"I wanted to show you something. You keep telling me you want me to join the wolves even though Forneus won't allow it. I think I may have found a work around."

She shifted, world swimming briefly before snapping into place. She took a few paces around Greyback, allowing him to get a good look at her as the white wolf, hoping he would find her satisfactory. She shifted back after another moment, hastily tugging her dress back into place where it fell awkwardly off her shoulders from the transformation.

"Well well well. It seems you've given it some thought, cub. I'm glad to see your enthusiasm to join us... but it's not quite enough. I hope you'll at least run with is the next full moon, but one day I'll see the transformation completed properly."

He said nothing else, simply grinned his sick, twisted grin, brushing his knuckles against Mercy's cheek, then turned to leave the woods. Mercy could feel vomit threatening to pass her lips. It wasn't enough. It would never be enough for him until he violated her in every way possible, right down to her dna.

It was with the fear of that reality in mind that Mercy eagerly packed her trunk for Hogwarts when the day came. Forneus was there to escort her to Platform 9 3/4, watching her every move with a careful eye.

"Don't get distracted while you're there," he rasped just before she boarded the train. "You're there for a reason. Remember, they have you registered under the name Mercy Hill. Do not tell anyone the truth of who you are. Remember your true goal. We'll see you for the winter holidays. Do not disappoint me."

That 'true goal' had been established several weeks prior: find the Chamber of Secrets. Once done, Forneus would send along a package containing an adolescent basilisk. It wouldn't be strong enough to kill mudblood students, yet, but strong enough to petrify. From there, Mercy would need to finish the job. It threw a wrench in all of Mercy's plans: she had daydreamed of a simple life as a student— taking classes, making friends, living a perfect lie as long as she was away. With Forneus's instructions, that dream was shattered. He fully intended to use her as a weapon at every turn.

She sat on the train alone, trying desperately to hang on to her daydreams of friends and a normal life. She was sorted into Slytherin before she knew it, though the hat agonized over the decision.

"A brilliant mind, already open to learning. But brave, oh so brave... and yet cunning... dangerously so..."

She whispered to the hat in her mind. _Slytherin. It has to be Slytherin_. And though the hat was the first syllable into shouting "GRYFFINDOR!", he changed it to Slytherin at the last moment for her. It took pity, undoubtedly knowing the hell she'd face otherwise.

The other girls in the dormitories seemed happy to ignore her, gathering in tiny groups already formed on the long train ride into the castle. She sat in the common room for hours into the night, feeling the safest she ever had in years, but also the saddest. This was supposed to be a happy occasion, a chance for her to get away from the reality of her horrible deeds in the real world, but she couldn't shake the memories. The room glowed bright green as she sat wiping away tears, the full moon cutting beams of light into the lake. She could swear she heard wolves howling.

If nothing else, lessons took her mind off of things. Normally, she'd be brewing death potions and learning curses, but now she learned simple charms and counter spells. She was years beyond anyone in her class, Flitwick constantly lamenting that she hadn't been placed in his house. Though she didn't get along with many students, most electing to ignore her as she wasn't of much interest, the professors seemed to adore her. She spent most free afternoons helping grade papers or volunteering to clean up after potions lessons, already used to spending most of her time around adults. She'd fallen into a rhythm: take breakfast late in the morning, attend classes, find a professor who wouldn't mind her company to stave off boredom, then spend the rest of the late evenings exploring the castle until curfew. In the letters she wrote back and forth to Forneus's camp, she did her best to make the latter seem as though she was earnestly searching for the Chamber of Secrets. In reality, she just liked the quiet of the less-travelled halls of Hogwarts, learning to enjoy time alone away from the wolves. Forneus's letters, however, became more and more insistent after a time, warning her that if she didn't find the Chamber by holiday break, he'd take matters into his own hands. Viewing it as an empty threat, she ignored the missive, deciding instead to throw herself completely into being a normal child. She finally wrestled together some friends: a bookish 3rd year Ravenclaw named Thomas, and a rather sly 1st year Hufflepuff named Brienne. The three of them were all rather solitary, but they didn't mind bringing food from the Great Hall out by the lake to eat together, and often discussed sneaking off to Hogsmede when Thom's year were finally permitted to go. Their first outing together as friends was to a quidditch match— Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor— which ended in much good cheer as the badger house took the win. Mercy lapped up every moment like a dying man to water, finally feeling that she belonged.

The feeling didn't last.

November was winding down, and exams and the holiday break were fast approaching. There was a pile of letters sitting on Mercy's nightstand from Forneus, all ignored, and each time her eyes settled on it, a lump in her throat grew. When she couldn't bear to look at them anymore, she tossed them into the fire, imagining that her life before Hogwarts was burning along with the parchment. She was Mercy Hill, a perfectly happy, perfectly ordinary little girl with friends, thank you very much. Not a Pureblood princess. Not a killer. Not a monster.

So when the howler arrived, screaming "YOU WILL ANSWER ME, GIRL", shattering her illusion of a happy life as students from all over the Great Hall stared at her, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

She penned a quick letter home, apologizing for the delay, explaining that she was hard at work searching for the chamber, but didn't want to disappoint Forneus by telling him she'd found nothing concrete. In return she received a letter stating that Forneus understood, and that they'd discuss how to help her over the holiday break.

/

"That 'help' Forneus promised was a kidnapping," Nox sighed, kicking at the water in the fountain. "He was furious with me. He knew full well that I wasn't looking, but to humiliate me, me made me drink veritaserum. Blabbed to the whole camp that I wanted to be normal, that I had friends, hell, even that I had a crush on Thom. Every sticky detail of my life at Hogwarts was recited. Everything except, thank Merlin, that I planned to run away. Forneus told me that he made a mistake sending me to Hogwarts. Told me I wasn't going back. Said I'd finish schooling elsewhere, at Durmstrang. I was sad at first that I wouldn't have my friends any longer, but I thought maybe I could just make a new life at Durmstrang. I was wrong. Forneus was in really good with Karkaroff. Told him all kind of lies about how I though I was above everyone, that I was a monster at Hogwarts, hurting other students and planning murders. Anything and anything vile I'd done under Forneus's orders he twisted to make it seem like I was some out of control, power hungry freak. Karkaroff told the professors and the entire student body before I even got there. I was... made an example of. The students needed to learn a new curse? Use Mercy as a test dummy. Making potions? Make Mercy drink them. Students getting rowdy and out of hand? Beat Mercy before everyone to let them know it wouldn't be tolerated. I went to bed every night battered, bruised, and broken. I wanted so desperately to get away, but I was under watch constantly. Over the summers, Forneus would make sure I was compliant, he constantly plied me with veritaserum. I learned how to fight it, eventually. How to lie under its influence even though it made me feel like I was burning on the inside. Eventually I found my opening to get free: they were training me to be both deadly and elusive. They never thought I'd use those skills to escape them. So when I found out about the little ferry that went from the island where our shack was onto the mainland, I knew what I had to do. Forneus did his best to be sure I never knew where we lived, but I figured it out eventually: a small, uncharted island between the Isle of Wight and Southampton. All I had to do was take the ferry and get lost in the crowds, and I'd be free. I was sixteen at the time. Forneus was too busy arguing with Greyback to notice I'd slipped off. I didn't even take anything with me. Just shifted into a wolf and ran until they were out of earshot."

/

Mercy's legs burned something fierce, back to her human form as she was too exhausted to keep up her animagus form. The trees were thinning, she could hear the water slapping against the rocks on the dock, so close.

The was a rustling in the trees above, the sight of a massive brown owl nearly making her trip. It followed her, sending a chill down her spine, but it didn't appear to be giving chase. It coasted along, not flying back even when she reached the edge of the forest and ran across the pier. It felt right somehow, like a spirit guide making sure she reached her destination. If Forneus and the wolves had noticed her absence, it was too late. She was already on the ferry, the boat slowly making it's way up the channel to Southampton. The owl stayed for a moment, letting Mercy scratch the top of its head before it took flight again, heading back up the path that Mercy had run to freedom. She collapsed once it flew out of view.

 _I'm free_. She thought, in disbelief. _I'm not Nona, or Mercy, or any of that any longer. From now on I'll choose. I'm finally free._

/

Nox let out one final, long sigh.

"It was hard, being on my own at such a young age, but I learned quickly. I was always smart, and cunning. Found money doing odd jobs, eventually saved up enough to buy a tiny place of my own. If I thought Forneus's men were onto me, I picked up and moved again. Different place, different name, different people. But I was always Noctua, to myself. I was always 'the Gaunt trying to do better'. Eventually it seemed as though Forneus stopped looking. Until now. And now I'm done picking up stakes and running. This is the life I made for myself, the life I want, the life I'm ready to fight for. He won't take it from me again."

"And we'll be right beside you for that fight," Sirius reassured, rising from the fountain.

The rest got up too, Tonks leaning in to hug Nox.

"It's been a hard life for you, but we're here. You won't go through this alone."

"Thank you, Tonks. Thank you all for listening. I feel like a weight has been lifted."

"If we're all settled, best we return to the main hall," Remus pipped up. "I do believe Slytherin is missing its head of house."

"That it is," Noctua agreed. And she strode out of the Room of Requirement, head held high, swearing to never hide again.

 _ **A/N: I am SO sorry I left this for so long. Apologies for any errors, I still need to edit this, but I really wanted it up. Thank you for sticking with me. I'm going to try my best to get this updated every week. Thank you again for reading!**_


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